A statement calling for revision of the letter of recommendation for“Sado Island Gold Mines” to be recognized as a World Heritage Site
On 30 January 2022, the Japanese government decided to recommend “SadoIsland Gold Mines,” the former mine on the island of Sado in Niigata
Prefecture, for listing as a World Heritage Site. The letter of recommendation
was submitted to UNESCO the following day, but at that point the details
had not yet been disclosed to the public.
Niigata Prefecture and Sado City had already been aiming for World Heritage
registration. In 2010, the Sado mine was approved for the Tentative List
under the title, “The Sado complex of heritage mines, primarily gold mines,”,and officially became a candidate for designation as a World CulturalHeritage site. The Sado complex consisted of 9 sites, including gold and silver
mines, the vertical shaft, the port, the hydro power plant, and the quarries.
However, in 2020, the government renamed the Sado complex “Sado Island
Gold Mines,” focusing on just the Aikawa gold and silver mine, Tsurushi silvermine and Nishimikawa placer gold mine, and eliminating the other sites.
Based on this plan, on the condition that it would be considered
comprehensively within the government, the Japanese government and theCouncil of the Agency for Cultural Affairs selected Sado Island Gold Mines asa candidate for designation as a World Heritage site at the end of December
2021. The Japanese government was initially planning not to attempt toregister the sites due to concern about provoking a backlash from South Korea
relating to the issue of Korean forced labor during World War II. In spite ofthis, the recommendation was made due to pressure from nationalists in theLiberal Democratic Party who deny the existence of Korean forced labor andwho also insisted that this was a situation that “relates to the honor of Japan”.
The letter of recommendation (“Asset Overview”) by the Japanese
government provided the following description:

Sado Island Gold Mines is the only gold mining site in theworld where the following features can be found in one place;1) gold mines; 2) mining by manual operation only until themiddle of the 19th century; and 3) not only mining zone but also
settlement zone remains which illustrates its social systems.”
There is evidence of both the technical systems, such as
mining and drainage tunnels, and the social systems, such asmining villages and the magistrate’s office sites, has beenpreserved in excellent condition.
Sado Island Gold Mines represents the final advanced
development stage of the unmechanised gold production system
in history.
In its heyday, Sado Island led the world in both thequantity and quality of its gold, producing the largest amountof the precious metal, at the highest purity, of any mining site.”
The technical system of Sado Island Gold Mines was “theworld's largest amount and highest purity, exceeding that ofmechanised mines.” “Sado Island Gold Mines meets UNESCO'scriteria which is an outstanding example of a type of building,architectural or technological ensemble.”
The social system which was “long-term, strategic mining
management by the Tokugawa Shogunate” and “culture basedon mining created by the local community” meets the criteriaof being the “testimony to a cultural tradition.” This isconfirmed in a large number of historical documents remains
to this day, giving a detailed perspective of gold mining on SadoIsland.
There are, however, some serious problems with the explanations provided in
the letter.
First, by limiting the scope to gold mine production, the history of mining
silver and copper was excluded. Second, the period was limited to the Edo era
without providing information on the full history. Third, the Tokugawa feudal
system was described in a positive way, ignoring the problems of forced laborand the class system under the control of the Shogunate. Fourth, theexplanation sings the praises of traditional manual mining techniques but
fails to mention the fact that Sado mines were developed through theintroduction of Western technology. Finally, it contains exaggerated praisesuch as “the highest purity of all mining sites,” or “the most advanced stage
in the history of the development of gold production systems before theintroduction of mechanization.”
The point is that in order to go forward with the registration procedure for
the World Heritage site, the letter of recommendation presented a distorted
view of the history of Sado Mines by just focusing on the story of themanufacturing technology of gold production in the Edo period. Thus, it did
not contain anything about the people’s history of the mining town Sado-Aikawa during the Edo period, the background of the management of
Mitsubishi and labor history in the modern era, and the history of Korean
forced labor during war time. It made no mention of the decline of mining in
the late Edo period, instead proudly emphasizing only the good points suchas “long-term, strategic mining management by the Tokugawa Shogunate,”and “the final advanced development stage of the unmechanised gold
production system in history.” Information about such aspects of life as thepeople’s culture, religious rituals and festivals related to the mines wasmerely tacked on at the end.
It should have first been explained that Sado Mines was the production site
for gold, silver, and copper. The smelting method used in Sado mines,
cupellation, was transmitted through Korea, and the mercury amalgamation
process was developed by Spain and used in mines in South America before
being introduced to Sado. The Archimedean screw, a machine for raisingwater, and the surveying techniques to construct the Minamizawa Drainage
Tunnel were both Western technologies. There were a lot of traditional
manual mining technologies imported to Sado mines from the West orthrough China and Korea. The mining management controlled by theShogunate in the Edo period imposed an excess burden of taxation on local
peasants, leading to farmers' uprisings in Sado Island. The class system
under the rule of the Tokugawa solidified the outcast group, Buraku people,and furthermore, the Shogunate abused this system by having them work
keeping peace and order or as prison guards. In the late Edo period, thehomeless wanderers in Edo (present-day Tokyo) or other regions were also
mobilized and taken to Sado mines as forced laborers to remove the waterfrom the mines. And what is more, a memorial to 28 of the drainage workers
who lost their lives in an underground fire in 1853 still remains. Many miners
had short lifespans due to silicosis, effects of smoke pollution, or industrial
accidents.
As mentioned above, when relating the history of Sado Mines in the Edo
period, it is important to include such aspects as the scope of mining products
produced, introduction of foreign mining technology, exploitative taxes
imposed by the Shogunate and governance by the class system, forced labor
under Tokugawa rule and mining labor history. In fact, the letter ofrecommendation of “Sado Island Gold Mines” did not provide theseexplanations. Further, it told nothing about the modern history of Sado Mines
despite the fact that several examples of modern mining heritage, such as thevertical shafts and the mine mills, remain on site.
In proceeding with the recommendation for the World Heritage site, theJapanese government made clear its position of denial of Korean forced laborin war time, saying “South Korea's own claims were not accepted” at the endof January, 2022. At that time, the historical denialists were emphaticallytrumpeting their denial regarding the use of Korean forced labor. However, it
is a historical fact that eighty years ago, the Japanese government
implemented a labor mobilization plan and mobilized more than 1,500
Korean people to work at Sado Mines. There is no denying that for Korean
people under Japanese colonial rule, that amounted to forced mobilizationand forced labor. The commendation of the gold production in the Edo period
and the denial of Korean forced labor in war time are two sides of the samecoin.
The stance of the Japanese government in support of historical denialism
reveals its continuing colonialism, evoking distrust from countries around theworld that have experienced and are trying to overcome the impact of colonialrule. It also goes against the philosophy of UNESCO which was establishedafter reflection on past wars of aggression.
In consideration of the above, we call for drastic revision of the details of the“Sado Island Gold Mines” letter of recommendation, disclosure to the publicof all material related to the recommendation, and recognition by Japan ofKorean forced labor.
May, 2022
Network for Research on Forced Labor Mobilizationc/o Kobe Student Youth Center
4-9-22, Hachiman-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture
TEL: 070-891-3018
FAX: 078-891-3019
E-mail: shinsoukyumei@gmail.com