Ignoring the History of Foreign Forced Labour at Japan's ‘Sites of the Meiji Industrial Revolution'

Japan's 'Sites of the Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding, and Coal Mining,' inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2015, have been embroiled in controversy due to their association with forced labor during World War II. Key sites such as Gunkanjima, Miike coal mines, Nagasaki Shipbuilding complex, and Yawata Steel Works utilized thousands of Korean and Chinese forced laborers, along with Allied POWs, as slave laborers. Despite international criticism, particularly from South Korea, Japan initially omitted this history from its public historical displays between 2015 and 2021. This chapter highlights the significant role of these sites in Japan's industrial development while addressing the ethical implications of their heritage status.

Palmer, D. (2023). Ignoring the History of Foreign Forced Labour at Japan’s ‘Sites of the Meiji Industrial Revolution’. Routledge Handbook of Trauma in East Asia, 143–157. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003292661-14