Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun

Recently, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee released the first conservation report submitted by Japan on the Sado Gold Mine, which made no mention of the history of forced labor from the Korean Peninsula. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun commented over the matter on Friday that Japan should face up to and reflect on history, properly address the unresolved historical issues with an honest and responsible attitude.

The Japanese side has claimed that it "has held close consultations with the ROK side" over the Sado Gold Mine report. The ROK side stated that it urged Japan to earnestly fulfill the relevant resolutions of the Committee, its own commitments and the inter-governmental consensus between the two countries, adding that the ROK will continue to maintain communication with Japan. 

"We point out that the report shows the Japanese government has failed to faithfully implement the decisions of the World Heritage Committee to fully reflect the entire history of the Sado mines on site, as well as Japan's own pledges made during the inscription process," an ROK foreign ministry spokesperson said, Yonhap reported on Tuesday.

When asked to comment on the matter at Friday's press conference, Guo noted that the forced recruitment and enslavement of laborers from China, the Korean Peninsula and other Asian countries were serious crimes committed by Japanese militarism during its aggression and colonial rule. Japan should face up to and reflect on history, properly address the unresolved historical issues with an honest and responsible attitude, and win the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community through concrete actions.

Global Times