PEOPLE
Chairman, Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution World Heritage Route Promotion Council Director, National Congress of Industrial Heritage
■High Expectations with Three World Heritage Assets
ーーKyushu is poised to become a World Heritage treasure trove. Not only do you have components of the Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution, but there is the Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List last year, and the Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region which is expected to be inscribed on the list this year. I assume expectations are high that they will help to spur the region’s development.
It is notable that these three historical and cultural groupings are of three completely different genres with completely different time frames and historical and cultural backgrounds. Adroit coordination to combine these all into one set could make for a very interesting tour. They are all serial nominations and offer much to see. Western tourists are more prone to staying for extended periods, so a combined offering of these sites could prove to be a popular tourism resource.
The news that Kyushu has three major World Heritage groupings should greatly enhance our brand image as an attractive destination for tourists.
ーーNow, this is a question we ask everyone interviewed for this column. Please tell us about your first encounter with Ms. Koko Kato, Managing Director of National Congress of Industrial Heritage.
As Mr. Hiroshi Yasuda, the Representative Director of the National Congress of Industrial Heritage, responded in his interview, my first reaction when I was told about the idea of World Heritage listing was disbelief that it could really be done. After all, she was talking about the sites that included giant cantilever cranes and other currently operating machinery (laughs). I became president of JR Kyushu in 2002. My first meeting with Ms. Kato, if I recall correctly, was around that time. I knew her father, Mr. Mutsuki Kato, so wasn’t surprised when I learned she was his daughter. She is energetic and speaks beautiful English. Above all, she knows how to judge character. When she finds the right person, she doesn’t hesitate to approach them, so she is constantly expanding her circle (laughs). The World Heritage listing of the Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution was made possible by her considerable power. There is no mistake about that.
ーーOne last question. As a board member of the National Congress of Industrial Heritage, what is your vision of the future for the conservation, maintenance, and use of the Sites of Japan’s Meiji industrial Revolution?
The management and conservation of the component sites is our top priority. Especially in Kyushu where we have had a number of major natural disasters in recent years like a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck Kumamoto, and disasters caused by torrential rain and erupting volcanoes. Some of the sites, like Hashima Coal Mine (Gunkanjima) are badly eroded. We need to think carefully on how to protect these historically valuable sites and pass them on to future generations.
We want to tell as many people as possible about our forbearers, how they introduced and adapted Western technology to achieve an industrial revolution in a remarkably short period of time, and how they were still able to build the foundations of a modern Japan without being overwhelmed by Western major powers. To do this, we will need to continue to work closely with the corporate owners, local administrative bodies, and the relevant ministries and agencies. As the chair of the Route Promotion Council, I will continue to pursue our activities to promote tourism, stimulate local economies, and help to further regional revitalization.
I look forward to seeing how Kyushu develops its tourist industry around the three World Heritage assets. Thank you for your time today.
(Interview & text by Takeo Takashima)
Senior Researcher, Industrial Heritage Information Centre
Honorary Advisor, Nippon Mining Co., Ltd.
The Ambassador of Supporting Kamaishi Hometown
Former Director of Nagasaki City World Heritage Office
Former General Manager, Nagasaki Shipyard and Machinery Works, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Chairman, Fujisankei Group
Executive Managing Advisor, Fuji Television Network, Inc.
Executive Managing Advisor, Fuji Media Holdings, Inc.
Advisor, Federation of Japan Port and Airport Construction Association
(Ex. Chairman of Specialists Center of Port and Airport Engineering)
Mayor of Nagasaki City
Former Director of the Sano Tsunetami Memorial Museum (currently known as Sano Tsunetami and the Mietsu Naval Dock History Museum)
Director of NPO Association for Thinking about Satoyama
Director of National Congress of the Industrial Heritage
Honorary Chief Priest Toshinari Ueda
Former Mayor of Omuta City
Archaeologist and Heritage Conservation Specialist
A fellow of the Japan Federation of Engineering Societies
Team Member of the Industrial Project Team Office for the Promotion of World Heritage Listing under Cabinet Secretariat
Governor of Kagoshima Prefecture
Mayor of Hagi City
Mayor of Uki City, Kumamoto Prefecture
The Former Employee of Nippon Steel Corporation
An Associate Professor of the Faculty of Science and Engineering in Iwate University
Chairman of the Tourist Guide Association of Misumi West Port
President of Kuraya Narusawa Co., Ltd.
Chairman of Izunokuni City Tourism Association
Director and General Manager of Gunkanjima Concierge
Producer of the Gunkanjima Digital Museum
Owner at Tōge Chaya
Chairman: Mr. Hidenori Date
President: Mr. Masahiro Date
Proprietor, Houraikan Inn
Representative Director of Egawa Bunko non-profit incorporated foundation
The 42nd head of the Egawa Family
Democratic Party for the People (DPP) Representative for Nagasaki Prefecture
President of the NPO, Way to World Heritage Gunkanjima
Representative Director
MI Consulting Group
President of Watanabe Production Group and Honorary Chair of Watanabe Productions Co., Ltd.
Member of the House of Councillors
Governor
Kagoshima Prefecture
World Heritage Consultant
Director and Dean, The Kyushu-Asia Institute of Leadership
Representative Director, SUMIDA, Inc.
Journalist, founder of the Shimomura Mitsuko Ikikata Juku School
Representative, Rally Nippon
Chairman, Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution World Heritage Route Promotion Council Director, National Congress of Industrial Heritage
Representative Director, General Incorporated Foundation National Congress of Industrial Heritage (Advisor, Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Capital Markets Research Institute）
Mayor of Nagasaki City
Policy Director at Heritage Montreal
World Heritage Consultant
Executive Director of Kogakuin University
Heritage Architect and International Consultant
Head of Data Acquisition at The Glasgow School of Art’s School of Simulation and Visualisation
Head of Industrial Heritage, Historic Environment Scotland, Edinburgh
Scottish Ten Project Manager, Historic Environment Scotland, Edinburgh
Mayor of Izunokuni City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Pro-Provost and Chairman of Council of the Royal College of Art. Heritage advisor of Canal & River Trust for England and Wales.
Dean of Tokyo Rissho Junior College
Professor emeritus of Keio University
Mayor of Kitakyushu City
At the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee convened in Bonn, Germany, from June 28 to July 8, 2015, the decision was approved to inscribe the Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution on the World Heritage list.
At a celebratory party held to mark the occasion, some of the primary promoters of the project spoke of their joy in achieving their goal and of the trials and tribulations to getting there.
Director and Managing Executive Officer, Hanshin Expressway Company Limited
Member, Board of Directors, National Congress of Industrial Heritage
Vice-Governor of Shizuoka Prefecture
Mayor of Hagi City
Chairman, Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd.
Mayor of Omuta City
Deputy Director-General, Lifelong Learning Policy Bureau, MEXT
Former Counsellor, Cabinet Secretariat
Mayor of Kamaishi City
Member, Board of Directors, National Congress of Industrial Heritage Counselor, Shimadzu Limited
Chairman of the Consortium for the World Heritage Inscription of Modern Industrial Heritage (Kyushu-Yamaguchi) and governor of Kagoshima Prefecture (as of 2015)