One Miner's Booty After Being Laid Off

Akaaki Togami is one of those big, quiet guys. His denim shirt sleeves rolled up past muscular forearms, he has come to Mikawa coal mine to flip through job listings at an on-site re-employment center established by the company and the local public job security office.

As part of the closure agreement, the company has generated more than 3,000 job offers for its dismissed workers, almost 800 at firms that belonging to other Mitsui companies, one of Japan's biggest corporate groups. As of early June, 370 ex-coal mine workers had accepted new employment, but Mr. Togami says he isn't rushing.

He sits down to explain what will come his way July 10, the date the miners and clerical workers receive severance packages from the company:

* A 4.9 million yen ($43,965) "retirement payment."

* A 4.6 million yen "supplemental payment."

* A 510,000 yen "dismissal payment."

* A 454,000 yen bonus for last winter.

* 250,000 yen in recognition of his service.

The total comes to more than 10.7 million yen ($96,000). These amounts are calculated to reflect his 20-year career at Miike and the dangerous, high-paid work he did.

He is also receiving government unemployment benefits of 271,600 yen ($2,425) per month, which will last for 11 months - effectively adding another 3 million yen ($26,800) to his package.

He is unlikely to remain unemployed, with three children still in school, but the government will pay him nearly 160,000 yen ($1,430) per month for an additional 14 months, a special benefit for out-of-work miners. If he were to stay without work for 25 months, these payment would add 2.2 million yen ($19,600) to his public and private severance benefits, which would come to nearly 16 million yen ($142,000).