Japan's UNESCO heritage bid draws ire over past labor abuse

Gunkanjima, or Battleship Island, is one of 23 old industrial facilities seeking UNESCO's recognition as world heritage "Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution" meant to illustrate Japan's rapid transformation from a feudal farming society into an industrial power at the end of the 19th century. UNESCO's World Heritage Committee is expected to approve the proposal during a meeting being held in Bonn, Germany, through July 9 after Japan and South Korea informally agreed on a promise to acknowledge, though it is unclear how, that Koreans were among the people who toiled at Gunkanjima and some other sites. The proposal makes no mention of the grim interlude when, toward the war's end, tens of thousands of Koreans, and also Chinese and foreign prisoners of war were forced to toil under dire conditions in Japanese factories and mines. The sites proposed to UNESCO for recognition include shipyards and steel works, ports, mines, industrial furnaces, docks and a huge crane still used at Mitsubishi's main shipyard in Nagasaki. Residents lived in a citadel of high-rise apartment buildings, the first in Japan built with steel-reinforced concrete, which stood behind sea walls that sometimes were no match for typhoons pounding in from the East China Sea. Eventually, undersea pipes funneled water and electricity to the about 5,000 residents living in what once was the most densely crowded place on the planet — a community with a cinema, hospital, school, swimming pool and many other amenities typical of life elsewhere in Japan. For Doutoku Sakamoto and others who once called Gunkanjima home, the designation could lend deeper meaning for their own displacement in 1974, when Mitsubishi closed and sealed the mine and vacated the island as Japan's national energy policy shifted toward greater reliance on oil imports. Joo is among former Korean laborers who are suing Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp., the company that

More Living News

Connections #312: Today's Answer and Hints (Thursday, April 18, 2024)
MakeUseOf, Thursday - 04/18/2024 - 12:02 AM
Connections requires players to find the connections between 16 words, and place them in four groups of four. If you want some help with Connections #312, we have the solution to Connections for April 18, 2024, along with hints to help you solve it yourself.
More | Talk | Read It Later | Share
Wordle #1034: Today's Answer and Clues (Thursday, April 18, 2024)
MakeUseOf, Thursday - 04/18/2024 - 12:02 AM
Wordle is a daily puzzle from the New York Times. If you want some extra help to solve today's Wordle for April 18, 2024, we have the answer to Wordle #1034, plus some extra clues.
More | Talk | Read It Later | Share
Safieddine plans Mexican restaurant in LoDo building bought last year
Denver Post, Wednesday - 04/17/2024 - 05:00 PM
Francois Safieddine is staying busy. The Denver restaurateur behind concepts like ViewHouse and the recently opened Wonder + Yard is planning a Mexican restaurant in a LoDo building he bought last September. According to a liquor and dance cabaret license application submitted to the city, Safieddine intends to open a Mexican restaurant at 1620 Wazee St.
More | Talk | Read It Later | Share
How to Easily Create a Mirror Image Effect Without Expensive Software
MakeUseOf, Wednesday - 04/17/2024 - 02:00 PM
Mirroring an image to create a reflection effect is one of the easiest ways to add a playful twist to your photos. And it's dead simple—no need for fancy photo editing software. Let's show you how to quickly create a mirror effect for free, whether you're on your computer or phone.
More | Talk | Read It Later | Share
Longmont’s first food hall opens in May with BBQ, Thai-Indian fusion and birria tacos
Denver Post, Wednesday - 04/17/2024 - 11:27 AM
When a group of investors announced they’d be opening Longmont’s first food hall this year, a flood of more than 100 applications from local food vendors came rushing in. They’ve since narrowed it down to eight food stalls at Parkway Food Hall, set to open Memorial Day weekend at 700 Ken Pratt Blvd., including Baa Hachi, a Japanese street food concept from Patrick and Lisa Balcom, owners of farm-to-table restaurant Farow in Niwot, and Pie Dog, their thin-crust Neapolitan-style pizza pop-up. “Longmont is hungry for this,” said Patrick Garza, CEO of Dallas-based National Food Hall Solutions, which manages Parkway Food Hall. Pie Dog will be one of eight food vendors in Parkway Food Hall.
More | Talk | Read It Later | Share
The Windows 11 Control Panel Is Missing Key Settings, Here's Where to Find Them
MakeUseOf, Wednesday - 04/17/2024 - 08:00 AM
Ever since the introduction of Windows 11, Microsoft has been more proactive about moving settings out of their traditional home in the control panel. If you’re missing a setting, here’s where you’re likely to find it.
More | Talk | Read It Later | Share

Japan's Unesco Heritage Bid Draws Ire Over Past Labor Abuse

MoviesWithButter : Our Sister Site

More Living News

Japan's Unesco Heritage Bid Draws Ire Over Past Labor Abuse

Welcome to Wopular

MoviesWithButter : Our Sister Site

More Living News