PEOPLE
Mayor of Uki City, Kumamoto Prefecture
I Never Imagined My Hometown Would Be Inscribed on the World Heritage List
Kato I have met Mayor Morita many times, but I believe the first time I met you was at… I attended the ceremony to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the opening of Misumi West Port, when was that?
Morita It was 2007. I had known Ms. Kato since a long time ago, but I think that was actually the first time I had the opportunity to meet you in person.
Kato 2007 was also the year in which the Committee of Experts was established. Two years later, in October 2009, we held a meeting at the Tokyo Prince Hotel to present the results of our inspection and discussions.
Morita My first major meeting as Mayor of Uki was at the International Conference on Industrial Heritage in 2014. I was so happy and grateful that Misumi West Port was chosen as one of the component parts of the Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution that I could not sit still. There were so many people in the hall that day. There was a lot of tension in the room as Ms. Kato and other distinguished speakers took the stage. For me, as well, it was exciting to think that after the selection process of the component parts, the registration of the site as a World Heritage Site would finally become a reality.
Kato I had been working on the idea of inscribing “Japan's Industrial Heritage” on the World Heritage List since 1999, which means that by 2007, almost eight years had passed. To this day, the meeting at the Tokyo Prince Hotel is still engraved in my mind as an epoch-making event. However, there were many difficult problems to overcome, and it took another eight years to achieve World Heritage registration.
Morita I was told by Governor Ito (Mr. Yuichiro Ito, Governor of Kagoshima Prefecture) that the aim was to register the site as a World Heritage Site, and his passion and vitality were also amazing to behold.
Kato I am very grateful for the leadership of people like Governor Ito, who made it possible for us to proceed with the project. Especially since there were many people who resisted.
Morita I was surprised by the idea of serial nomination, but I did not feel any resistance. I was convinced that such a thing was possible. However, I could not believe my ears when I learned that the Misumi West Port was included in the list of candidates to be one of the component parts (laughs). I was born in the town of Ogawa-cho, Shimomashiki District, which is currently known as Uki City. I came to Tokyo to go to university, but I came back to my hometown after I graduated, which means that I lived in Uki City all my life except for my university days. I never imagined that my hometown would be registered as a World Heritage Site. I was proud of my hometown, but I was not aware of its value as an industrial heritage.
Kato It is hard to see what lies right under your nose.
Morita And yet I was optimistic that my hometown would be registered as a World Heritage site, but a Kumamoto Prefecture official said, "No, no, it's not that simple. It would be a miracle if we were even included in the tentative list." I was like “What!?”
Kato With regard to the Misumi West Port, the World Heritage Committee said it would require evidence that coal excavated at Miike Coal Mine was transported to the Misumi West Port, or that it was planned to be transported there, but we had a hard time finding it.
Morita I am grateful for your persistent efforts. As for me, it enthralled me and I could not sit idly by, so I took up the issue at the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly and began to work to inform the people of Kumamoto Prefecture. The citizens of Uki City were very surprised, and it was the biggest event in nearly 20 years since the city came to be known as Uki City after the merger.
Kato Mayor Morita, you were already mayor when the decision was made to register the city as a World Heritage Site in 2015?
Morita That is right. I was a member of the Kumamoto Prefectural Assembly before I was elected mayor of Uki City in 2013. I watched the moment of the World Heritage Site registration through a public viewing at the Ryu-jo Kan. I now know that is what you call jubilation. There was a crowd of about 100 local people shouting, "We finally did it!” and giving a huge round of applause. As you can see, it was a great success.
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)