National Affairs
Japan's info center breaks pledge made to world
The Korean government on June 15, 2020, condemned the Japanese government for claiming no discrimination against Korean forced workers occurred in an exhibition at the Industrial Heritage Information Centre in Tokyo.
In its spokesperson's statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "The Japanese government had pledged that as a concrete follow-up action to implement a World Heritage Committee (WHC) recommendation, it would take measures allowing the understanding that many Koreans and others were brought against their will and forced to work under harsh conditions, a fact Japan itself acknowledged."
"However, it is deeply regrettable that the center exhibits content that directly contradicts the commitment made by the Japanese government and completely distorts historical facts."
The WHC advised Japan to prepare an interpretive strategy for the presentation of 23 sites, including Hashima Island, to allow an understanding of the full history of each site. In response, Japan pledged to admit to committing forced labor mobilization involving Koreans and other workers and to build an information center to educate the public about the issue.
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