As the whole of the island was in the possession of a single company, care of the environment and management of the company flats were organised directly by the company. Certain public facilities were under the control of the authorities – for example, shore protection was run by the Ministry of Construction, the elementary school and the junior high schools by the Ministry of Education, roads by the town office and so on. For the most part, however, maintenance was in the hands of the management of the Mitsubishi Corporation. Of course, individuals sometimes had to make a contribution when they were responsible for the damage. Maintenance regulations are codified in “The Management Rules for the Hashima-mine Company Flats”. Public or large scale maintenance was carried out after negotiation between the company and the labor union. For instance, in the case of a breakage of a window pane, the resident handed in a claim for the repair of the damage to the headman of his living section. Then the headman assessed it and decided the proportion of the cost to be borne by the resident and the company respectively. For example, if the total cost of repair was 80 yen, then the resident was obliged to pay 30 yen and the company paid the remaining 50 yen, and the damage was repaired rapidly. The headman and the members of the labor union repaired 'tatami' and shutters twice a year, and 'fusuma' (Japanese sliding doors) once a year.