UNESCO Panel Urges Japan to Improve Exhibits at Sado Gold Mines

Seoul, July 23 (Jiji Press)–A UNESCO panel on Thursday urged Japan to enhance exhibits at the Sado Island Gold Mines, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the central Japan prefecture of Niigata, to provide a comprehensive view of the mining history. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee made the request as it adopted a resolution on the conservation status of the gold mines on Sado Island during a meeting in Busan, South Korea. It discussed the status for the first time since the gold mines’ inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2024. In 2025, the Japanese government submitted a report on measures to improve the exhibits. The latest resolution noted that progress has been made, but it is insufficient. The committee requested that Japan consult closely with concerned countries and submit a revised report by Dec. 1, 2027. This matter will be deliberated again by the committee in 2028. When the Japanese government filed for inscription, it said that exhibits on the history of the mines from the late 16th century to the mid-19th century would be on display. The South Korean government maintains that the site was associated with forced labor by individuals from the Korean Peninsula during World War II. It gave its consent to the inscription on the condition that the full history of the mines, including the wartime period, be presented. “Japan’s efforts so far have been recognized,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference Thursday, adding that the committee’s resolution does not include terms such as forced labor or forced mobilization. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]