Japan responds to controversy over inappropriate explanations of Gunkanjima: "We are handling it sincerely"

Battleship Island featured at the 'Industrial Heritage Information Center' in Tokyo
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-seop] The Japanese government is reportedly preparing to argue that the exhibition on ‘Gunkanjima’ was appropriate.

According to local media on the 18th, the Japanese government plans to announce that it is "sincerely explaining" the forced labor situation at the Industrial Heritage Information Center during the 44th World Heritage Committee meeting, which is being held from the 16th of this month until the end of the month.

Gunkanjima was a site where Koreans were conscripted and subjected to forced labor during the Japanese colonial period. In 2015, the Japanese government registered 23 sites of industrial revolution heritage, including Gunkanjima, as World Heritage sites. At that time, they promised to provide explanatory exhibitions that would remember the victims who were taken against their will and help understand the situation.

However, the exhibition at the Industrial Heritage Information Center, which officially opened in June last year, was organized based on testimonies from Hashima residents denying discrimination against Koreans or forced labor, causing controversy.

In response, three members of the joint investigation team from UNESCO and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) visited the Industrial Heritage Information Center locally and online from the 7th to the 9th of last month. The investigation team prepared a report suggesting it is difficult to acknowledge the fact of forced labor of Korean workers. The World Heritage Committee also released a draft on the 12th expressing regret that Japan did not faithfully fulfill its past promises.

The draft is scheduled to be reviewed as a resolution at the 46th World Heritage Committee in 2023. Japan is not included among the 21 member countries of the World Heritage Committee, so it cannot participate in discussions or adoption. Unless requested by the committee, it will not even have the opportunity to speak.

The Japanese government plans to state that “the exhibitions at the Industrial Heritage Information Center are all based on facts and are appropriate” if asked for its opinion as a concerned party.

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