Adoration of World Heritage

Nearly two months before final decision of official registration, news reports congratulated the recommendation of twenty-three historical assets for world heritage. TV news shared certain long time for delighted workers of city offices who had been working hard for the nomination. Most Japanese believe that the registration means recognition of the world for value of Japanese history, which is not always true. Joy of the public workers, on the other hand, was based on financial reasons.

The fact was that World Heritage Center of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, located in Paris, reported Japanese government of recommendation from International Council on Monuments and Sites, which was an organization for pre-examination of world cultural heritage. The recommendation is categorized into four: new nomination, referred back, deferred and extension. The twenty-three historical assets titled “Heritage of Japanese Industrial Revolution in Meiji Era” was recommended for new nomination.

Japanese government submitted old facilities of heavy industries such as steel or shipping yard in western Japan as the candidate for World Heritage. They included ghost city of old coalmine on small isolated island in Nagasaki and government-owned ironworks in Fukuoka. Considering high competition with swollen number of World Heritage registration these years, Japanese government took a method called serial nomination, which is collecting a number of candidates for nomination. The government firmly believes those assets will be finally registered as World Cultural Heritage in the committee in Germany next month.

So, what is the benefit of the registration? Although some Japanese think that UNESCO will subsidize World Heritage, it won’t actually do that. Obligation for preserving historical asset is vested on host nation. It is also unlikely for the national government will create new budget for newly registered World Heritage.

Rather, local government that maintains the asset may expect more visitors. Increase of visitors justifies additional investment of public resource to the heritage. More donation can be expected from souvenir shops and restaurants. For the public sector, registration makes maintenance easier than ever.

Obtaining as much share as possible is a fundamental value of this nation on small volcanic islands with poor resources. Public resources have been strictly controlled by governmental authority for preserving equality. In ancient Japan, collecting fallen leaves was not social contribution, but crime with penalty of being excluded from local community. Now, young businessmen like to occupy as large land under cherry blossom as possible for their colleagues to watch beautiful flowers. Winning international prize has also a sense of occupying certain share in the world for the Japanese.