TOKYO - A UNESCO advisory body has recommended adding a group of ancient sites in Nara Prefecture that show the formation of Japan's centralized state to the World Cultural Heritage list, the cultural affairs agency said Saturday.
A formal decision on the "Asuka-Fujiwara: Archaeological sites of Japan's Ancient Capitals and Related Properties" is expected to be made at a meeting of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Committee to be held in South Korea from July 19 to 29.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, whose home constituency is Nara, welcomed the recommendation, saying on X, "I find it extremely delightful that our precious cultural heritage has been highly regarded internationally."
She vowed that the government will do its utmost to work towards having the asset officially inscribed.
If registered, Japan would have 27 World Heritage sites -- 22 cultural and five natural properties.
The Asuka-Fujiwara cluster consists of 19 archaeological sites dating from the late sixth century to the early eighth century.
The major sites include ruins of the Asuka Palace and Fujiwara Palace related to early state-building, the remains of Japan's first full-fledged capital, Buddhist temple ruins and ancient burial mounds.
Among the burial mounds are Takamatsuzuka Mounded Tomb, known for vividly colored murals, and Kitora Mounded Tomb, featuring the oldest astronomical chart in East Asia.
The ruins display the influence from mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, indicating the cultural and technological contacts between Japan and the other countries of East Asia, according to UNESCO's World Heritage Center.
The archaeological sites were listed on UNESCO's tentative list in 2007, with the country's cultural affairs council selecting them in 2024 as its nomination candidate for the World Heritage inscription.
In January last year, the government submitted the recommendation documents to UNESCO after trimming the components to 19 from 22.
