Provided by Kyodo News
Some 60 percent of Japan's UNESCO World Cultural Heritage listed sites that bear testimony to the country's industrial revolution are worried about their preservation, results from a recent Kyodo News survey showed.
Representatives of 14 out of the 23 facilities that make up the "Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution" responded they were either "concerned" or "somewhat concerned." Insufficient funding for maintenance was the most commonly cited reason followed by a lack of specialized personnel, according to the survey.
Saturday marks 10 years since the sites were added to the heritage list. The move was controversial, with South Korea initially opposing it due to the history of Koreans coerced into working at some of the sites, including Hashima Coal Mine in Nagasaki Prefecture, known as "Battleship Island" because of its shape.
Most representatives also said that while the facilities saw an uptick in visitors immediately after the listing, tourist numbers have since declined, suggesting it provided only a temporary boost.
The survey conducted in June received responses from 11 municipalities across eight prefectures as well as Nippon Steel Corp. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., also involved in their management.
Nagasaki municipal authorities said that Hashima is a "heritage site with concrete structures that are deteriorating day by day" due to exposure to sea winds and waves, adding that "a large amount of funding for maintenance and special technology is required for preservation."
Authorities of Kamaishi in Iwate Prefecture, which hosts the Hashino iron mining and smelting site, said its tax revenues for the projected preservation costs are decreasing due to a decline in the local population.
Meanwhile, officials of Hagi in Yamaguchi Prefecture complained that upkeep efforts are lagging behind due to a lack of specialists in cultural assets and architecture.
On the other hand, representatives of nine sites said they had "basically no concerns," citing reasons such as detecting no major deterioration in regular monitoring.
All 20 facilities that disclosed such information publicly said the listing had "been effective" in providing an immediate boost to visitors. However, 18 sites also reported a decrease in the current number of visitors compared with the figure soon after registration.