PEOPLE
Celebratory Message for the 10th Anniversary of the Inscription of "Site of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution" on the UNESCO World Heritage List
Representative Director, National Congress of Industrial Heritage
(Honorary Advisor, Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu)
Date of Birth: April 30, 1945
Education: Faculty of Law, The University of Tokyo
Employment History:
1969 Joined Japanese National Railways (JNR)
1987 General Manager of Management Administration Department, Corporate Planning Headquarters, Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu)
1990 General Manager of Administration Department
1993 Director, General Manager of Administration Department
1995 Director, Deputy Director General of Railway Operations Headquarters, General Manager of Sales & Marketing Department
1996 Director, Director General of Business Development Headquarters, General Manager of Planning Department, Business Development Headquarters
1997 Managing Director
2001 Senior Managing Director
2002 President
2009- Chairman
2014- Senior Executive Advisor
2020 Special Advisor
2025 Honorary Advisor
External Business and Honorable Titles:
Honorary Consul-General, Honorary Consulate-General of the Republic of Turkey in Fukuoka
Chairman, Kyushu Economic Forum
Congratulations on the 10th anniversary of the inscription of “Site of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding, and Coal Mining” on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Since its establishment in September 2013, National Congress of Industrial Heritage has worked tirelessly alongside local businesses, organizations, and individuals to achieve the inscription of this heritage on the UNESCO World Heritage List, ensure the preservation of its 23 component sites across 8 prefectures and 11 cities for future generations, and promote regional and tourism development through the utilization of these heritage sites.
Thanks to your continuous support, we achieved UNESCO World Heritage designation in July 2015, and this year marks the 10th anniversary. Interest and expectations among the public, including the 11 cities across 8 prefectures, have grown significantly.
We extend our gratitude to Honorary Chairman Takashi Imai, former Representative Director Hiroshi Yasuda, and all related government agencies, local governments, and many others who contributed their efforts during this period.
The inscription of “Site of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution” on the UNESCO World Heritage List recognizes its historical value in demonstrating how Japan achieved industrialization in an extremely short period by adapting advanced Western science and technology to domestic demand and social traditions.
In addition to being a “serial nomination” encompassing 23 properties across 8 prefectures and 11 cities, it overcame numerous challenges to achieve World Heritage inscription, including the inclusion of component assets that remain in active operation. Japan achieved industrial modernization in just half a century, starting tentatively in the final years of the feudal system, and became one of the world's leading nations.
However, present-day Japan is struggling to escape from three decades of low growth following the collapse of the bubble economy. Japan's GDP fell from second to third place globally in 2010 when overtaken by China, dropped to fourth place the year before last when surpassed by Germany, and is predicted to be overtaken by India in the near future.
To overcome this economic stagnation, we must learn from the achievements of our predecessors who accomplished modernization in the half-century from the late Edo period to the Meiji era, reclaim that spirit as Japanese people, and revitalize our industries.
We, National Congress of Industrial Heritage will work in collaboration with the government, local governments, private companies, organizations, and overseas expert institutions to ensure that the value of “Site of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution” continues to grow and is firmly passed on to future generations.
We continue to ask for your support and cooperation.
Best regards,
Susumu Ishihara
Representative Director, National Congress of Industrial Heritage
Honorary Advisor, Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu)
Representative Director, National Congress of Industrial Heritage
(Honorary Advisor, Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu)
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)