Japan's shameless attempt

Tokyo should stop World Heritage bid for Sado mine

 

Already fragile ties between South Korea and Japan are expected to get worse as the Japanese government decided Tuesday to recommend a former gold mine linked to wartime forced labor for the 2023 UNESCO World Heritage list.

 

During a Cabinet meeting, the Fumio Kishida administration made the decision to seek the listing of the Sado mine in Niigata Prefecture where over 1,000 Koreans had been forced into hard labor during Japan's colonial rule. The move came despite Seoul's strong objections. The South Korean government immediately expressed strong regret over the decision and called in Japan's envoy here to lodge a protest.

 

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida had planned not to seek a listing this time around in the face of Seoul's protests. But the plan took a twist shortly before the application deadline amid rising pressure from hawks in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, including former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The Japanese government reportedly considered negative public opinions in case the nomination was delayed.

 

Japan's reversal is inappropriate in all respects. First of all, the Japanese government argues that the range of application for the Sado mine is limited only to the Edo era (1603-1867), excluding when Korea was under Japan's rule. This is surely Japan's shameless attempt to hide its dark history, given that UNESCO makes it a principle to reflect the “complete history” of items on its World Heritage list.

 

When Japan added a coal mine in Nagasaki Prefecture to the World Cultural Heritage list in 2015, its government vowed to take follow-up measures, including letting the world know that many Koreans were forced to labor at the mine, but to no avail. In July 2021, the World Heritage Committee unanimously adopted a resolution stating that Japan had failed to keep its promise. All this is a testament to the fact that Japan should not be eligible to seek another UNESCO World Heritage listing. The Japanese government should immediately stop its attempt to list the Sado mine and follow through on its promise to publicize the tragic history related to the coal mine.