The registration of the Sado Island Gold Mines as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site was achieved thanks to the Japanese and South Korean governments reaching an agreement over dealing with the site's history of using workers from the Korean Peninsula.
Tokyo accepted Seoul's calls for reflecting the history in explanations and exhibits at the site on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, out of concerns that heightened confrontation with South Korea could dampen bilateral relations, which have been improving recently.
"Japan was able to provide what South Korea was asking for," a Japanese government source said, expressing relief at being able to obtain the Asian neighbor's understanding for the registration. A South Korean Foreign Ministry official said that the two countries were able to resolve the issue through dialogue.