The UNESCO World Heritage committee has made a decision to designate Japan’s Sado gold mine as a cultural heritage site after Japan agreed to acknowledge its troubled history of exploiting Korean laborers during World War II. This move signifies an improvement in relations between Tokyo and Seoul. The mine, situated on an island near Niigata in northern Japan, was in operation for nearly 400 years and was the leading gold producer globally before its closure in 1989. It has a long-standing connection to Japan’s wartime mistreatment of Korean laborers.
During the annual meeting in New Delhi, India, committee members, including South Korea, unanimously supported the listing, citing Japan’s inclusion of additional information, necessary amendments to the plan, and consultations with South Korea about the mine’s wartime past. Japan has incorporated new exhibition materials to highlight the rigorous working conditions and hardships endured by Korean laborers at the mine.
Acknowledging that Korean workers were subjected to perilous tasks in the mine shaft, leading to fatalities, the Japanese delegation stated that many laborers received meager food supplies and minimal time off. Japanese officials announced plans for an annual memorial service at the site to honor all workers who suffered at the Sado Island gold mines.
The South Korean delegation emphasized the importance of Japan remaining truthful to history and showcasing both the positive and negative aspects of the Sado mine to foster long-term diplomatic improvements. Japan’s commitment to addressing its wartime atrocities was crucial in gaining support from South Korea, which opposed the UNESCO designation due to the exploitation of Korean laborers during WWII, a contentious issue that has strained bilateral relations.
Historians reveal that Japan utilized hundreds of thousands of Korean laborers, including those forcibly brought from the Korean Peninsula, in Japanese mines and factories to compensate for labor shortages during WWII. Japan has faced criticism for its reluctance to confront wartime atrocities, such as the exploitation of “comfort women” and forced laborers, including those at the Sado Island mine.
Initially, Japan sought World Heritage status for the Sado Island mine in the previous year, but further information was requested after the submitted documents were deemed insufficient. The International Council on Monuments and Sites advised Japan to provide a more comprehensive account of the Sado mines, focusing on technical details rather than the contentious wartime history.
In 2015, another controversial Japanese site, Gunkanjima in Nagasaki prefecture, received UNESCO recognition. This former coal mine site, significant to Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution, was the subject of protests from South Korea for failing to mention Korean laborers on the island, prompting UNESCO to call for a more balanced representation of its history.
