Japan: "We will actively explain to be recognized as a cultural heritage of Sado Gwangsan"... Historical controversy anticipated

▲ Hirokazu Matsuno, Chief Cabinet Secretary, spokesperson for the Japanese government [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The Japanese government, which has decided to recommend the Sado Mine, a site of forced labor of Koreans, as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage, emphasized that it will actively explain its position.

On the 1st, Matsuno Hirokazu, Chief Cabinet Secretary and spokesperson for the Japanese government, said, "We intend to discuss calmly and politely with related countries, including Korea, so that the value of Sado Gold Mine (gold mine) is excellently recognized as a cultural heritage."

Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno made this statement at a regular press conference held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence after the Cabinet approved the recommendation of the Sado Mine as a World Heritage site.

It is interpreted that he expressed his intention to engage in debate without backing down, despite the sharply opposing views between Korea and Japan regarding the Sado Mine.

Furthermore, Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno added, "The Sado Mine is highly valued as a rare industrial heritage that utilized our country's (Japan's) unique traditional handicrafts on a large scale and over a long period during the Edo period," giving significance to the site.

▲ Sado Mine [Image source=Yonhap News]

He also added that, aiming for the registration of the Sado Mine as a World Heritage site, the government is currently preparing to establish a joint task force (TF) of government agencies as previously announced by Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, and will hold the first meeting soon.

The Japanese government's explanation of the Sado Mine as a gold mine from the Edo period (1603?1867) aligns with its strategy to recommend it as a World Heritage site excluding the issue of forced labor of Koreans during the Japanese colonial period.

The Sado Mine, located on Sado Island off the coast of Niigata Prefecture, was famous as a gold mine during the Edo period but was mainly used as a mine to secure war materials such as copper, iron, and zinc after the Pacific War intensified.

Mining labor involved risks of accidents and a high risk of diseases such as silicosis, making it an undesirable job. The Japanese colonial government mobilized a large number of Koreans to secure labor.

The exact number of mobilized Koreans is not clearly revealed but is estimated to be up to about 1,200 (Japanese Forced Mobilization Victims Support Foundation) or at least 2,000 (Hirose Teizo, Professor Emeritus at Fukuoka University, Japan).

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