Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining

• Management systems / Management Plan (Lack of a detailed conservation work programme for Hashima Island; Need to develop a prioritised conservation work programme for the property and its component sites and an implementation programme) (issue resolved)
• Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation (Visitor levels) 
• Management activities; Human resources (Lack of a training programme for all staff and stakeholders responsible for the day-to-day management of each component) (issue resolved)
• Interpretative and visitation facilities; Management systems/Management Plan (Lack of an adequate interpretive strategy for the presentation of the property); Harmonised interpretation facilities required at each relevant component site
• Ground transport infrastructure (Road construction projects at Shuseikan and Mietsu Naval Dock) (issue resolved)
• Marine transport infrastructure (New anchorage facility at Miike Port) (issue resolved)
• Major visitor accommodation and associated infrastructure (Proposals for the upgrade or development of visitor facilities)

N/A

On 30 November 2022, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, as requested in Decision 44 COM 7B.30 (Fuzhou/online, 2021). The report can be found at https://whc.unesco.org/document/197355 and addresses the Committee’s previous requests as follows:

• The State Party carries out interpretation in line with the 2017 Interpretation Strategy and its subsequent revisions, undertaken at the request of the World Heritage Committee since the time of inscription. The State Party considers that the current Interpretation Strategy provides a sound basis for interpreting the full history of the property and is working on harmonising interpretation at all component sites of the property, in line with the current displays of the Industrial Heritage Information Center (IHIC) established in Tokyo;
• The State Party indicates that extensive research about Koreans in Japan before, during and after World War II (WWII) is ongoing, as well as on the Japanese policy of requisition. The report highlights that, in order to be considered, historical documents and oral testimonies must be further verified;
• The IHIC will also play the role of an archive, especially for individual testimonies. Work in this regard is ongoing and the State Party of Japan will introduce new information into updated interpretation;
• The State Party highlights the harshness of mining environments for all workers at Meiji industrial sites;
• The State Party indicates that regular discussions are held at the national level, including with domestic and foreign experts and visitors at the IHIC, and that it will continue the dialogue it has been conducting to date with the governments of the concerned States Parties, including the Republic of Korea;
• The report also contains exhaustive information on the World Heritage Route created to incite visitors to visit several component sites, along with updates on Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) carried out at different component sites for projects that were not considered likely to affect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property in the Kagoshima, Miike, Nagasaki and Yawata areas.

The State Party’s report focuses on the points raised in Decision 44 COM 7B.30, especially paragraphs 6 and 7.

On 17 August 2023, the State Party sent a letter inviting the World Heritage Centre to visit the Industrial Heritage Information Centre in Tokyo where new interpretation measures have been taken subsequent to the submission of the State of Conservation Report and aiming to further implement the previous decisions of the World Heritage Committee. A mission of the Director of World Heritage took place on 24 August 2023.

The State Party has made significant efforts towards the on-site, off-site and digital interpretation of the sites, and it should be encouraged to further implement and periodically review the 2017 Interpretation Strategy. The statement made by the State Party at the time of inscription (see the Summary Records at https://whc.unesco.org/document/138489, p. 222) indicated a commitment to reflecting the “full history” of the property and its component sites, including outside of the ‘OUV period’ (1850-1910), which was echoed by the subsequent decisions of the World Heritage Committee.

It is noteworthy that, following the Committee’s encouragements, the State Party has organised consultations with all stakeholders, including with the Republic of Korea. Bilateral meetings are taking place, that appeared to have resulted in some progress to date in view of continuing reflecting the full history of the property.

During the visit held in Tokyo and to the Industrial Heritage Information Centre on 24 August, the Director of World Heritage was able to acknowledge the implementation of the following new measures:

1) Establishment of a new section in “Zone 3” entitled “To remember the victims” within the Tokyo Industrial Heritage Information Centre. This new section includes:

• A QR-code linked to the video of the 2015 World Heritage Committee decision, thus allowing direct access to statements made by both Japan and Korea at the time of the inscription of the site.
• Illustration of the harsh conditions through the display of (i) “Monthly security reports” and (ii) “Security Logbooks” documenting the number of fatalities among Koreans who died at Hashima Coal Mine in war time.

2) QR code linked to the video of the 2015 World Heritage Committee is included in Zone 1 of the Tokyo Industrial Heritage Information Centre;

3) The State Party has informed that interpretation tools and information will be consolidated within all visitors’ centres, and will ensure that:

• QR-code is displayed in the 8 visitors centres, which covers all the 23 component parts of the site, thus allowing visitors to access the website of the IHIC and the video of the 2015 World Heritage Committee; clarifying interlinkages between component parts, consistent with enhanced interpretation strategy;

4) Upgrading of the open stacks with extensive and diverse materials collected for research and analysis was visible. This includes:

• A looping slideshow of introductory information about (i) fatalities inside the Hashima Coal Mine ; (ii) Applications for Cremation Permit Issuance of workers from the Korean Peninsula,
• Inclusion of a selection of 8 new books about the best practices in terms of interpretation strategy of heritage sites incorporated.

The State Party informed that “Application for Cremation Permit Issuance” will also be displayed if the original and authentic copy is provided.

5) Incorporation of artworks as a measure to shed light on harsh conditions and to remember the victims, which will be pursued via annual special exhibitions at the Industrial Heritage Information Centre.

Furthermore, the State Party informed of its commitment to continue enhancing the interpretation strategy of the site, in particular through research, data collection and verification, including regarding new testimonies. In this regard, dialogue with the Republic of Korea and other concerned parties will be continued. Furthermore, a series of talks involving international experts will be organized at the Tokyo Industrial Heritage Information Centre.

Concerning the HIAs commissioned by the State Party for several infrastructure projects, it is noted that proposed works were considered not to have any significant impact on the relevant component sites in the Kagoshima, Nagasaki and Yawata areas, which was also reflected in the ICOMOS technical reviews of October and December 2021. It is also noted that a prioritised implementation schedule for conservation works is in place, in line with the “Conservation Work Programmes and Implementation Programmes” for each component part, and especially that an alternative proposal will be developed for the “anchorage for small vessels” planned at Miike Port, in order to avoid any damage to the OUV of the property.

In conclusion, the State Party has invested significant efforts and resources into responding to the Committee’s requests, and progressed in delivering on its commitments which should be recognized. These efforts should continue in order to further enhance the interpretation measures of the site.