JAPANESE  ENGLISH

PEOPLE

2022.03.29
Vol.46

The History of Iron that Began in Kagoshima has Dramatically Advanced Japan's Modernization~I Want to Pass on the Vitality of the People of Satsuma to the Younger Generations Whom Will Live in the Future~

Koichi Shiota

Governor of Kagoshima Prefecture

Koichi Shiota
PROFILE

October 1965: Born in Kagoghima City, Kagoshima Prefecture

March 1988: Graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law

April 1988: Joined Ministry of International Trade and Industry

  • Chief of Hitoyoshi Tax Office, Kumamoto Regional Taxation Bureau

  • First Secretary, Embassy of Japan in Italy

  • Deputy Director-General, Minister's Secretariat, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

June 2018: Director-General of the Kyushu Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry

December 2019: Retired from Director-General, Kyushu Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry

July 2020: Appointed Governor of Kagoshima Prefecture

To be Proud of the History of Iron in Kagoshima Prefecture

Kato  Thank you very much for your time today. Kagoshima Prefecture is home to three of the component parts of the "Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution": the former Shuseikan (former Shuseikan reverberatory furnace, former Shuseikan machine factory, and former Kagoshima spinning mill and foreign engineers' residence), the Terayama Charcoal Kiln, and the Sekiyoshi Sluice Gate of Yoshino Leat. I was looking forward to hearing from Governor Shiota, who is also the Chairman of the World Heritage Council of "Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution.”

Shiota It is my pleasure.

Kato You were appointed Governor of Kagoshima Prefecture in 2020. Nonetheless, I remember the first time I met you was before the "Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution" were registered as a World Heritage Site in 2015, when you served as Director of the Iron and Steel Division at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Shiota  Yes, that was in 2011. One day, Ms. Kato stormed into my office and spoke to me passionately in regard to industrial heritage. Later, she came to see me again after reading my column on Kagoshima and iron in the Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun (Daily Sangyo News), and I believe that our conversation led to us establishing the connection we have today.

Kato I was very impressed by your column, which was very knowledgeable and persuasive in regards to iron, and I was eager to meet you again. In the course of our meeting in person and our long conversation, I realized once again that the history of Kagoshima Prefecture and iron is indeed very deep.

The Shuseikan project was born by Shimazu Nariakira, the feudal lord of the Satsuma clan, and the stage for the project was the former Shuseikan, where many factories, including a reverberatory furnace, were built by cultivating the bamboo forest in present-day Iso, the town of Yoshino-cho. The Shuseikan built by Nariakira was destroyed by fire during the Satsuma-British War, but the Satsuma clan, seeing the overwhelming military power of the West, decided to actively adopt Western technology, and it was rebuilt by Shimazu Tadayoshi in 1865. This background also gives us a sense of the spirit of wanting to support Japan.

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Vol.57
Living now for the future of Japan: The mission of the Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution is to raise awareness and courage that "Japan can be saved if we make use of the spirit of our predecessors."

Former General Manager, Nagasaki Shipyard and Machinery Works, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

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Vol.56
Japan's Meiji Industrial Heritage is the Pride of Japan - Knowing the Steps of Our Predecessors is the Key to Reconsidering Japanese Education

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Executive Managing Advisor, Fuji Media Holdings, Inc.

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Vol.55
The Road to World Heritage Registration was Full of its Ups and Downs ~Blessed, Saved and Paved by the Luck of Human Fate~

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The historical flow of change from "Samurai to the Company" is the pride of Japan - Nagasaki, the center of Japan's Meiji Industrial Heritage Sites, will lead the way to connect to the next generation.

Mayor of Nagasaki City

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Vol.53
The Saga Clan Built Japan's First Reverberatory Furnace, and the "Mietsu Naval Station" was the Base of the Western-style Navy: Passing on the Passion That Went Into Registering the Site as a World Heritage Site to the Next Generation

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Former Mayor of Omuta City

Mr. Michio Koga
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Why Conservation Management of Japan's Meiji Industrial Sites is needed?

Archaeologist and Heritage Conservation Specialist

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Vol.48
The Truth of Industrial History Unraveled from the Perspective of Metallurgy: the Mission of the Heritage of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution is to Pass on the Intelligence, Diligence, and Fortitude of the Japanese People to Future Generations

A fellow of the Japan Federation of Engineering Societies

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Vol.47
The Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution is a Great Teaching Aid, and Various World Revealed by Looking Into It

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Vol.46
The History of Iron that Began in Kagoshima has Dramatically Advanced Japan's Modernization~I Want to Pass on the Vitality of the People of Satsuma to the Younger Generations Whom Will Live in the Future~

Governor of Kagoshima Prefecture

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Mayor of Hagi City

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I wish to pass on to my children's generation the wisdom, technology, and energy of our ancestors who built Misumi West Port - I will do my very best to do what I can at this moment by looking ahead to the future that will surely come after COVID-19.

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The Former Employee of Nippon Steel Corporation

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We would like to Establish a "New Local Studies" that will be transmitted to the Outside World.

An Associate Professor of the Faculty of Science and Engineering in Iwate University

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The Establishment of the Gunkanjima Digital Museum Were Led by Fate: I want to start, continue, and finish what I can do to convey the value of the Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution to a wide audience

Director and General Manager of Gunkanjima Concierge

Producer of the Gunkanjima Digital Museum

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Vol.38
In Industrial Heritage, It's the "People" Who Play the Central Role: How World Heritage Inscription Casts a Fresh Light on Hometown Splendors

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Vol.37
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Kamaishi's "Miracles" and Overcoming Disaster: The Huge Opportunity Provided by World Heritage Site Inscription

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Vol.35
"850 years of historical records" along with Nirayama reverberatory furnace that ought to be passed down to future generations. ~The long-awaited new storage warehouse is completed and it has encouraged preservation, restoration, and utilization~

Representative Director of Egawa Bunko non-profit incorporated foundation

The 42nd head of the Egawa Family

Mr. Hiroshi Egawa
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Democratic Party for the People (DPP) Representative for Nagasaki Prefecture

Mr. Yoshiaki Takaki
Vol.33
Gunkanjima Is a Warning Message for the Future of Earth and Humanity ~The Thoughts and Pleas of a Guide and Former Resident~

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Synchronicity Yields the Miracle of World Heritage Site Inscription: Strong Aspirations Inspire Support among Like-Minded Individuals

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Vol.30
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Vol.29
Calling on 21st Century Satsuma Students to Build the Future! Shuseikan Serves as a Source of Information about Sightseeing in Kagoshima

Governor
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Vol.28
Awareness of "Stories with Connections" is steadily spreading throughout each region~There are also challenges for conservation management and interpretation~

World Heritage Consultant

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Vol.27
Where There Is a Will, There Is a Way: Connecting with People Takes Courage and Initiative

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Vol.26
Taking Pride in Japan's Latest World Heritage Sites~A Journalist's Perspective~

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Vol.25
Classic Cars and the Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution~Rally Nippon 2019 in Kyushu~

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Vol.24
Preparations Proceed for the Development of Exciting Touring Routes to See the World Heritage Sites - The Promotion Council Conveys their Attractions to the World through Various Promotions!

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Vol.23
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Vol.22
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Vol.21
"The World's Experimental Facility" that Questions of the True Value of the "ICOMOS-TICCIH Cooperative Principles" New Conservation Challenges Promoted by the Japanese Government

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Days of Heated Argument with the Unforgettable Stuart Smith~A Cross-Cultural Encounter with Familiar 19th-Century Industrial Heritage~

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Vol.19
The next generation of technological innovation is born from carrying forward history and culture. - Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution open the way to "conserving while using"

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Blazing a New Trail for Serial Inscription-Format Conservation and Management with the Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Training Personnel to Pass on Memory and Understanding as a Major Challenge in the Future

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The Scottish Ten Project

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Vol.13
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Vol.12
In the midst of accurate information dissemination, it created a chance to truly look at history

Dean of Tokyo Rissho Junior College

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Vol.10
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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.

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Vol.9
Conserve and Use: Pioneering New Approaches for Operational Heritage Assets

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Mayor of Hagi City

Mr. Koji Nomura
Vol.6
The Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: The Roots of Japanese Craftsmanship and Industry

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Mr.Masafumi Yasutomi
Vol.5
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Vol.4
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Vol.3
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Mr.Kimiyasu Shimadzu
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Chairman of the Consortium for the World Heritage Inscription of Modern Industrial Heritage (Kyushu-Yamaguchi) and governor of Kagoshima Prefecture (as of 2015)

Mr.Yuichiro Ito