Japan again held a ceremony commemorating victims of the Sado mine complex without acknowledging the forced nature of Korean labor. South Korea boycotted the event for the third consecutive year, demanding Japan recognize that Korean workers were mobilized against their will during the colonial period.
The Sado mine's inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage site has become a focal point for historical disputes between Japan and South Korea, particularly concerning the legacy of forced labor during Japan's colonial rule. The ongoing disagreement impacts bilateral relations and the international perception of historical accountability.
Japan again refrained from acknowledging the forced nature of Korean labor during a ceremony on Saturday commemorating victims of the Sado mine complex in Niigata Prefecture. The annual ceremony, first held in 2024, was established as part of Japan's pledge when the mine was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in July 2024.
Hamamoto Yukiya, director-general for cultural affairs at Japan's foreign ministry, attended as a government representative among about 70 participants. He stated that workers from the Korean Peninsula endured "arduous labor in dangerous and harsh conditions" and that "sadly, some people lost their lives here." However, his remarks mirrored those from previous ceremonies and did not mention the forced nature of the labor.
South Korea has boycotted the event for three consecutive years, citing a lack of agreement with Japan on Seoul's demands for an acknowledgment that Korean workers were mobilized against their will. The South Korean foreign ministry announced on Wednesday that it would hold its own ceremony later this year, urging Japan to fully implement recommendations from the World Heritage Committee. These recommendations, adopted in July, call for Japan to adequately reflect the "whole history" of the Sado mine, including the period when over 1,500 Koreans were mobilized to work at the mine during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.