Japan Likely to Propose Asuka-Fujiwara Sites for World Heritage Listing

Tokyo, Sept. 9 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Cultural Affairs Council urged the government Monday to propose the Asuka-Fujiwara archeological sites in the western prefecture of Nara as a candidate for UNESCO World Cultural Heritage designation in 2026.

The government is expected to submit a recommendation letter for the sites to UNESCO by Jan. 31 next year. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee will deliberate the sites' possible inscription as early as summer 2026.

The Asuka-Fujiwara sites are ruins of capital cities built under Japan's first centralized government. They include the Asuka palace site, the Fujiwara palace site and the Takamatsuzuka Tomb.

The Japanese advisory panel said that the sites are a unique asset that can show the process of the birth and establishment of the centralized administrative system through the transition of imperial capitals.

The panel advised the government in July 2023 against recommending Asuka-Fujiwara for World Cultural Heritage listing, citing inadequate protection for the sites. It concluded that the sites now receive sufficient protection and that their outstanding universal value can be recognized.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]