UNESCO "Japan has not implemented follow-up measures related to Gunkanjima... Strong regret"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The UNESCO World Heritage Committee expressed strong regret that the Japanese government did not properly inform about the forced labor of Koreans on Hashima Island (Gunkanjima), which is registered as a World Cultural Heritage site.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 12th, a report detailing the inspection by three members of the joint investigation team from UNESCO and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) last month of the Tokyo Industrial Heritage Information Center, where materials related to Gunkanjima and other sites are exhibited, was posted on the World Heritage Center website this afternoon.

The report, consisting of 60 pages, was prepared to determine whether the recommendations of the World Heritage Committee had been properly implemented. When designating Gunkanjima as a World Heritage site in 2015, the World Heritage Committee recommended that interpretive measures be established to enable a comprehensive understanding of the entire history of each facility, including forced labor.

However, according to the report, each facility lacks content related to Japan's political and military history since the 1910s, and the interpretive measures that would allow understanding of the fact that Koreans were forced to work against their will were found to be insufficient.

Although there are exhibitions showing that workers came from Korea and other countries, it is difficult to say that the fact of forced labor was acknowledged. The report also pointed out that there were no exhibits that met the purpose of honoring the victims of forced labor.

This contrasts with other heritage sites with similar histories that acknowledge the fact of forced labor or the military use of the facilities.

The draft decision on "Japan’s Modern Industrial Facilities," which will be submitted to the 44th World Heritage Committee meeting to be held online from the 16th, was also released. The World Heritage Committee is expected to adopt this draft decision without discussion from the 21st to the 23rd.

The World Heritage Committee stated, "We are satisfied that the State Party (Japan) has implemented some of the commitments and committee-related decisions," but also "strongly regrets that the State Party has not yet fully implemented the relevant decisions."

It also urged Japan to "fully refer to the conclusions of the joint investigation team report in implementing the relevant decisions" and called for faithful implementation.

In response, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said, "Since a very strong UNESCO decision draft has been issued, we expect the Tokyo Industrial Heritage Information Center in Japan to take concrete measures," and added, "We will continue to urge Japan to promptly and faithfully implement this decision."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.