Japan is set to nominate several mines for consideration as world heritage sites by UNESCO, its prime minister said on Friday, despite protests from South Korea that the move is inappropriate as forced laborers were used there in World War Two.
Japan's cultural affairs agency selected the gold and silver mines on the island of Sado as candidates for listing by the United Nations cultural organization in December, citing the development of traditional handcraft techniques. The site was also the world's top producer of gold in the 17th century, according to the agency.
