Seeking regeneration ideas

A Japanese student is studying Ollerton as an example of a town that is trying to regenerate after being devastated by the collapse of the mining industry.

Kazumasa (Kazu) Noguchi, 24, said ex-mining communities in Japan had also been devastated by the industry’s collapse and the purpose of the year-long study was to learn from Ollerton.

Mr Noguchi, of Miwa, Japan, is based at Ollerton and District Economic Forum on Forest Road.

He plans to interview more than 100 people, including ex-miners and staff at the forum.

Mr Noguchi, who is studying for a masters degree in social sciences, said his mother’s home town of Omuta was one of Japan’s most famous coal-mining communities.

Since 1959, when the coal industry started to decline, its population has shrunk from 200,000 to less then 130,000 as younger generations leave to find opportunities in other towns.

He found out about ODEF after reading a paper by Japanese researchers.

“Former mining communities in Japan have been trying to regenerate but their activities are only tourism centred,” he said.

“Regeneration here is far more practical because in Ollerton they are trying to diversify the economy by providing different kinds of employment and business advice to entrepreneurs.”

He hoped the study would highlight the issues surrounding regeneration, but a method of regenerating in Japan would have to suit Japanese culture.

He said: “England is very different to what I expected and English people are quite obedient about the rules but buses are always late.”

Noguchi said he was paying for the research but hoped to get some grants.

He said the study would be finished by January 2011, then he would return to Japan to write up the project.

He said: “I respect the work miners do because it’s an important job and I would like to work in the energy industry finding alternative energy sources.”