Will the long-awaited ”Sado Island Gold Mine” be registered as a World Heritage Site next month? Attention is also focused on the response of South Korea, which has been opposed.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has added the Sado Island Gold Mine in Sado City, Niigata Prefecture, which is seeking to be registered as a World Heritage Site.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs announced on the 6th of this month that it has recommended an "information inquiry" to request an explanation. In regards to the application for the registration of the Sado Gold Mine as a World Heritage Site, the explanation for the forced labor of Koreans was insufficient.
South Korea has protested, saying that the registration is a violation of the Japanese Constitution and requires that such history be reflected. In its latest recommendation to Japan, ICOMOS has called for the formulation of an exhibition strategy that covers the entire history of the site, including the Meiji period and after.
South Korean media reported that ICOMOS accepted South Korea's request (MBC). The decision on whether to register the site will be made at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee next month.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a South Korean official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that whether South Korea will support the proposal will depend on Japan's future response.
The "Sado Island Gold Mine" consists of two mining ruins, the "Aikawa Tsurushi Gold and Silver Mine" and the "Nishimikawa Gold and Sand Mine." The Japanese government and Niigata Prefecture have
"It is a rare mine in the world that has developed a large-scale gold production system using traditional handicrafts that are different from those in Okinawa," he said. During the war, workers from the Korean Peninsula were sent to the Sado Gold Mine to make up for the labor shortage.
The Korean side said that when the Japanese government was seeking to register the Sado Gold Mine as a World Heritage Site, it intended to limit the period to the 16th to 19th centuries in order to highlight the history of forced labor by Koreans from the Korean Peninsula.
They have criticized the government for excluding certain people from the site and turning a blind eye to the "whole history" of the site, and have argued that the inscription should reflect the history of forced labor by Korean workers.
South Korea also showed strong opposition when the "Meiji Industrial Revolution Sites" were registered as a World Heritage Site in 2015. The Hashima Coal Mine in Nagasaki, which is included in the "Meiji Industrial Revolution Sites,"
Many Korean workers worked in the mine (Gunkanjima). For this reason, the Korean side asked the Japanese side to provide an explanation so that the Korean workers could understand the situation at the time of the World Heritage registration.
In response to this request, Japan opened the "Industrial Heritage Information Center" in Tokyo in 2020. However, the Korean side said, "The exhibits at the center clearly show the suffering of Koreans who were forced to work there.
"We have not been given any explanation, and the promises made at the time of registration have not been kept," he said. The World Heritage Committee will officially decide on the registration of the "Sado Island Gold Mine" next month, but before that
ICOMOS, an advisory body to UNESCO, recommended an "information inquiry" to ask Japan for additional explanation. While acknowledging the value of the site as a World Heritage Site, it recommended excluding areas with many historical sites from the Meiji period onward and taking measures to protect the site.
The ICOMOS recommendation is divided into four stages, with "information inquiry" being the second highest rating after "registration."
" However, there have been many cases in the past where the World Heritage Committee, which decides whether or not to register a site, has overturned ICOMOS's recommendations and registered the site. In fact, last year, all six sites that received "information inquiry" recommendations were World Heritage sites.
The recommendation was accepted. On the 7th, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Masahito Moriyama said at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, "We still have some homework to do. I'm not disappointed, but the joy of it is only moderate."
Niigata Prefecture Governor Hideyo Hanakazuno also told reporters on the same day, "We need to carefully analyze the contents of the recommendation and find out ICOMOS's true intentions," and added, "At the meeting to be held in July,
"We will work with the national government and Sado City to gain the understanding of the member countries at the World Heritage Committee," he said. Meanwhile, a South Korean Foreign Ministry official said on the same day, "South Korea's position on historical issues has not changed.
"Certain histories must not be excluded or underestimated, but must be reflected," he said, reaffirming his previous position.
The decision on whether to register the site will be made at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting held in India from the 21st to the 31st of next month.
The principle is unanimous, but if there are any dissenting voices, registration will be decided with the approval of more than two-thirds of the 21 committee members, including Japan and South Korea. However, the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper reported that "If South Korea opposes it and there is no vote,
"If the two sides agree to the registration, it could create the impression that Japan and South Korea have broken down their relations," he said. "South Korea appears to want to secure a promise from Japan to take appropriate measures regarding history, paving the way for Japan to agree to the registration.
A South Korean Foreign Ministry official said, "Whether we oppose it or not will depend on what Japan does," but added, "If it is determined that our position has been reflected, the government will move forward with the plan (to support registration)."
"We are also considering not opposing the formation of a consensus (a consensus in the assembly hall)," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference on the 7th, "We are having sincere discussions with South Korea.
"We will continue to hold careful discussions so that the value of the Sado Island Gold Mine can be evaluated," he said. The local movement to have the Sado Island Gold Mine registered as a World Heritage Site dates back to the 1990s. Will the long-cherished wish be granted next month?
Attention will be focused on how the national government, Niigata Prefecture, and Sado City will respond to this recommendation, as well as how South Korea will respond.