The Group of Seven comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, and receives representation from the EU as we
Japan's proposal that its Sado mines be added to the 2023 Unesco World Heritage List is more than just a cultural-driven effort. It is a showcase of the inward-looking politics of Japan's conservative establishment to use particular events from the past to fit a desired narrative for the present, to purify the record of Japan's imperialism.
Japan has set itself on a diplomatic collision course with South Korea by applying for UNESCO world heritage status for gold and silver mines on an island off its west coast, which used forced labor from Korea.
The dispute over the mines on Sado Island is expected to further sour relations between the countries as the US is pressing them to present a united front against North Korea’s nuclear program.
The mines are among dozens of industrial sites that played a key role in Japan’s modernization while relying on slave labor. An estimated 780,000 Koreans worked in mines and factories during Japan’s
"Sado Kinzan Gold Mine, located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, is a collection of historic relics depicting the 400-year history of Sado's gold and silver mines. A guided tour, which includes facilities such as 'the Best Gold Processing Plant in Asia' and 'Japan's First Western-Style Vertical Tunnel', will cause visitors to marvel at the impressive scale."