NARA - UNESCO has formally added the Asuka-Fujiwara capital sites in Nara Prefecture to its World Cultural Heritage list, bringing the number of World Heritage properties in Japan to 27.
The decision was made on July 28 at a meeting of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea. The committee recognized the sites for demonstrating exchanges between Japan, China and the Korean Peninsula and for their major cultural influence on later periods.
"This is a proud moment for Nara Prefecture, and I thank everyone who made the registration possible," Nara Governor Makoto Yamashita said. "Today marks a new beginning for the Asuka-Fujiwara capital sites."
The property consists of 19 component sites dating from the late sixth century to the early eighth century, spread across Asuka Village and the cities of Kashihara and Sakurai. Together, they illustrate the process through which Japan's centralized system of government emerged and became established during the Asuka period.
The sites include the Takamatsuzuka Tomb, known for the vividly colored national treasure murals commonly called the "Asuka Beauties"; the remains of Asuka Palace, believed to have housed the courts of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jito; and Asukadera Temple, regarded as Japan's first fully established Buddhist temple.
Nara Prefecture and other local authorities proposed in 2006 that the Asuka-Fujiwara capital and associated archaeological sites be placed on Japan's tentative list for World Heritage nomination. The designation was secured after a campaign lasting about 20 years.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who was born in Nara Prefecture, said the government would "steadfastly protect this precious cultural heritage, which has become a treasure of the world from a treasure of Japan, and reliably pass it on to future generations."
