Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi’s first conference call with his South Korean counterpart, requested to discuss recent North Korean missile launches, quickly became bogged down in other matters.
The attempt to register the mine, one of the world's largest producers of gold in the 17th century, may face hurdles as issues dating back to World War II fray ties.
Faced with a Feb. 1 deadline and the prospect of angering South Korea or conservative elements within his own party, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida opted to appease the latter Jan. 28 and nominate ancient gold and silver mines on the island of Sado in Niigata Prefecture, for inclusion in UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2023.
South Korea's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a commentary that it opposes Japan's decision to push for the World Heritage designation of the mine.