PEOPLE
Celebratory Message for the 10th Anniversary of the Inscription of "Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution" on the UNESCO World Heritage List
Director, National Council of Industrial Heritage
President, Duke Estate Co.Ltd.
Born 1950 in Tokyo
March 1975: Completed the Master of Engineering program in Administration Engineering at Keio University Graduate School of Engineering
April 1975: Joined Mitsubishi Electric Corporation serving in sales and other roles within the railway business division; left the company in July 1988.
April 1989: Joined Shimadzu Limited
April 1999: Vice President and Representative Director of that company
June 2001: President and Representative Director of that company
June 2007: Stepped down as president of that company, subsequently serving as vice chairman, advisor, and director emeritus until March 2025.
In the meantime, he has served as Director of the Prefectural Tourism Federation (Public Interest Incorporated Association), Vice Chairman of the Kagoshima Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vice Representative Director of the Kagoshima Economic Association, Auditor of the Prefectural Specialty Products Association (Public Interest Incorporated Association), and Co-Representative of the Tourism Committee of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, among other positions.
Furthermore, at Shimadzu Limited, he focused on tourism initiatives that leveraged history and worked to promote regional development in Kagoshima.
He was involved from the outset in the World Heritage registration of the “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution” and worked tirelessly to make it a reality.
Serves as the chairperson of the prefectural board of education, contributing to the advancement of the prefecture's educational administration. Also actively involved in promoting the prefecture's culture and arts.
Congratulations on the 10th anniversary of the inscription of “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding, and Coal Mining” as a World Cultural Heritage site.
I vividly recall the day in 2015 when, at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Bonn, Germany, I watched the deliberations with bated breath and finally saw the decision to inscribe it made—it feels like just yesterday.
Looking back on the process leading up to this World Heritage inscription, it took over 15 years from the initial reevaluation of the Shuseikan Heritage-the modern industrial heritage of Kagoshima established by Lord Nariakira Shimadzu to its eventual inscription.
During that initial phase, three epoch-making events occurred that propelled this activity forward significantly.
The first was my encounter with a book titled Industrial Heritage: A Journey Through Regional and Civic History and its author, Koko Kato (currently Executive Director of the National Council for Industrial Heritage).
At that time, Kagoshima's history was viewed almost exclusively through the lens of personal and political narratives centered on figures like Takamori Saigo, and very few people sought to evaluate the intrinsic value of the Shuseikan Heritage itself.
Amidst this, while reading the book review section of Nikkei Business, I happened to come across a review of a book titled “Industrial Heritage” written by Koko Kato.
For some reason, I remember intuitively feeling at that moment that what we were seeking must be written in this book.
When I ordered and read this book, it summarized the preservation and utilization status of industrial heritage sites around the world.
So I promptly went to meet Ms. Kato, shared the current situation in Kagoshima, and we hit it off. First, I asked her to give a lecture in Kagoshima.
This became the starting point for launching the activities toward World Heritage registration. It was 1999.
The second was that after Professor Stuart Smith, introduced by Mr. Kato, inspected industrial heritage sites within Kyushu in 2002, he gave a lecture in Kagoshima. At the end of that lecture, he commented that if the industrial heritage of Kyushu and Yamaguchi, including our Shuseikan Heritage, were connected within the narrative of Japan's modernization, it could potentially qualify for World Cultural Heritage status.
Thirdly, following Professor Suart Smith's advice, we drafted a proposal together with Mr. Kato and presented it to then-Governor Yuichiro Ito of Kagoshima Prefecture in 2005. His agreement to initiate prefectural efforts toward World Cultural Heritage registration marked another major step forward for this initiative.
After that, I traveled around various regions with Ms. Kato and Professor Smith, repeatedly requesting cooperation. I recall that initially, we were met with skeptical looks and mostly negative responses.
It took 10 years from that time for the registration to be realized, but during that period, numerous hurdles awaited, including the handling of operational asset preservation management and fierce opposition campaigns from South Korea regarding the coal mine heritage.
There were many times when I thought this might be the end, but by persevering without giving up, I overcame them. Without these three initial events, the process of registering this site as a World Cultural Heritage site would never have begun.
The only regret was that Professor Smith passed away a year before the registration. I deeply regret that I could not share this joy with him.
I would like to express my gratitude to Ms. Koko Kato, Professor Stuart Smith, former Kagoshima Prefecture Governor Yuichiro Ito, and many others for their dedicated efforts in completing the registration process.
As we mark our 10th anniversary, the environment surrounding our nation remains chaotic, with an uncertain future stretching ahead. Now more than ever, we are called upon to recall the aspirations and passion of those who pursued modernization during the Meiji Restoration, as embodied by this World Heritage site.
I believe this is the profound significance of “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution” as a World Heritage site.
Sincerely,
Kimiyasu Shimadzu
Director, National Council of Industrial Heritage
Director, National Council of Industrial Heritage
President, Duke Estate Co.Ltd.
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)