The effort to inscribe the “Sado Island Gold Mines” as a World Heritage Site was a long one, spanning more than a quarter of a century. The initiative began around 1997, sparked by study sessions organized by a group of local volunteers. These efforts were spearheaded by the Sado Town and Village Council, with participation from local researchers. Starting in 2006, Niigata Prefecture and Sado City began full-scale preparations, and in 2014, the “Prefecture Citizens’ Promotion Council for the World Heritage Inscription of the Sado Gold and Silver Mines” was established, marking the beginning of a unified effort between the government and private sector.
Inscription on the World Heritage List requires going through a series of processes, including inclusion on the Tentative List, nomination to UNESCO, evaluation by an advisory body, and deliberation by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. Throughout this process, based on research and studies, it was examined whether the site’s value met the criteria for Outstanding Universal Value as a World Heritage Site. Additionally, to ensure comprehensive protective measures, steps were taken to designate the site as a National Cultural Property. Furthermore, through collaboration among the public, private, and academic sectors, efforts were made to communicate the value of the site and raise awareness of its World Heritage Inscription. We received tremendous support and dedication from numerous individuals, including experts from Japan and abroad, national and local government officials, and local residents.
As a result of these long-standing efforts, the “Sado Island Gold Mines” was officially inscribed as a World Heritage Site in July 2024.
Submission of a "proposal document" from Local Governments to the National Government
Prefectures and municipalities jointly propose the property which can be a candidate site for World Heritage inscription to the national government (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
| November 2006 | Submission of a proposal document, "The Island of Gold and Silver, Sado: Mines and Their Culture" to the national government |
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| December 2007 | Submission of a proposal document, "The Island of Gold and Silver, Sado: Mines and Their Culture" to the national government |
Inclusion on the Tentative List
The national government (Agency for Cultural Affairs) deliberates and decides which properties to include on the Tentative List through the examination by the Council for Cultural Affairs.
| June 2010 | The Council for Cultural Affairs decides to include “Heritage of Sado Island’s Gold Mines” on the Tentative List. |
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| November, 20, 2010 | The property included on the Tentative List of World Heritage was published on the UNESCO World Heritage Centre web. |
Preparation for UNESCO Nomination
A draft nomination dossier is prepared to demonstrate that the property meets the UNESCO World Heritage criteria, including “Outstanding Universal Value,” “Integrity,” and “Authenticity.” The theoretically organised draft is submitted to the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
To ensure comprehensive protective measures for the properties, the parts of the candidate site are designated and/or selected as National Cultural Property (Historic Site/Important Cultural Landscape)
| March 2014 | Submission of preliminary draft nomination dossier "The Sado Complex of Heritage mines, Primarily Gold Mines" to the Agency for Cultural Affairs. |
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| March 2015 | Submission of draft nomination dossier "The Sado Complex of Heritage mines, Primarily Gold Mines" ① to the Agency for Cultural Affairs. |
| March 2016 | Submission of draft nomination dossier "The Sado Complex of Heritage mines, Primarily Gold Mines" (revised version ②) to the Agency for Cultural Affairs. |
| March 2017 | Submission of draft nomination dossier "The Sado Complex of Heritage mines, Primarily Gold Mines" (revised version ③) to the Agency for Cultural Affairs. |
| March 2018 | Submission of draft nomination dossier "The Sado Complex of Heritage mines, Primarily Gold Mines" (revised version ④)to the Agency for Cultural Affairs. |
| March 2020 | Submission of draft nomination dossier "Sado Island Gold Mines" ⑤ to the Agency for Cultural Affairs.*Deliberation by the Council for Cultural Affairs does not take place. |
| March 2021 | Submission of draft nomination dossier "Sado Island Gold Mines" to the Agency for Cultural Affairs (revised version ⑥). |
Decision to Nominate to UNESCO (Agency for Cultural Affairs/National Government)
The national government (Agency for Cultural Affairs) deliberates and decides on a candidate site for World Heritage inscription through the examination by the Council for Cultural Affairs. Upon Cabinet approval, the property is selected as a candidate site for World Heritage inscription within the nation and nomination dossier is submitted to UNESCO.
| December 28, 2021 | The Council for Cultural Affairs selects the “Sado Island Gold Mines” as a candidate site for World Heritage inscription. |
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| February 1, 2022 | The Cabinet approves the submission of the nomination dossier for the "Sado Island Gold Mines" to UNESCO. |
Submission of Nomination Dossier to UNESCO
The Agency for Cultural Affairs submits the nomination dossier to UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
| February 1, 2022 | The national government submits the nomination dossier for the “Sado Island Gold Mines” to UNESCO. Official Name of nominated property: The "Sado Island Gold Mines" |
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| January 19, 2023 | The national government resubmits the nomination dossier to UNESCO. |
On-Site Evaluation by Advisory Body (Autumn of the Nomination Year)
Experts from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body to UNESCO, conduct on-site evaluation and submit the evaluation report to the World Heritage Centre.
| From August 24 to 30, 2023 | On-site evaluation is conducted. |
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Deliberation and inscription of World Heritage site at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee(in principle once a year, in June/July of the year following the nomination)
Evaluation Result by ICOMOS
The UNESCO World Heritage committee deliberates and decides on the inscription of properties as World Heritage sites based on evaluation reports and recommendation of the advisory body.
※The World Heritage Committee: comprising 21 member countries, deliberates and decides the new properties to be inscribed, expansion of the properties and conservation status of world heritage in danger.
| On June 6, 2024 | ・ICOMOS recommends “Referral”. （Additional materials） ○Outline of the ICOMOS advisory body evaluation (Agency for Cultural Affairs) (Japanese) |
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| July 27, 2024 | The 46th session of the World Heritage Committee (Venue: New Delhi, India) ・The "Sado Island Gold Mines" was inscribed on the World Heritage List recognized to meet the criteria (ⅳ) for selection of the World Heritage site. （Additional materials） ○About the decision at the 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO (Agency for Cultural Affairs) ○Outline of the decision on “Sado Island Gold Mines” (Agency for Cultural Affairs) (Japanese) ○About World Heritage (Agency for Cultural Affairs) (Japanese) ○Description of “Sado Island Gold Mines” (UNESCO) |
