SHIGA - Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture has been formally selected as Japan's candidate for nomination as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, advancing a campaign that has continued for more than 30 years and aims to secure inscription in the summer of 2028.
The decision was made on September 3 at a meeting of the Council for Cultural Affairs held at the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
Located in Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, the castle was built in the early Edo period and retains a surviving main keep designated as a National Treasure. It is regarded as an important example of the political and administrative system through which feudal lords governed their domains during the Edo period.
Hikone Castle was first placed on UNESCO's Tentative List of World Heritage sites in 1992, and Shiga Prefecture and Hikone City have continued efforts to promote its historical significance for more than three decades.
In 2024, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, or ICOMOS, which conducts preliminary technical and expert assessments of prospective World Heritage nominations, concluded that Hikone Castle had the potential to qualify for inscription.
However, ICOMOS also identified issues that needed to be addressed, including how to distinguish Hikone Castle from Himeji Castle, which is already a World Heritage site, and how to more clearly demonstrate Hikone Castle's unique value.
Shiga Prefecture and Hikone City submitted their fifth draft nomination document in May 2026 in response to those concerns.
Hikone residents welcomed the latest decision. "It has taken a very long time. I would be happy if it becomes a World Heritage site," one resident said. Another said, "I'm happy. Hikonyan has been working hard, so I hope even more tourists will come."
The Agency for Cultural Affairs will now submit Japan's nomination to UNESCO, with officials aiming for Hikone Castle to be inscribed on the World Heritage List in the summer of 2028.
If successful, Hikone Castle would become Japan's 28th World Heritage property, following the Asuka-Fujiwara Archaeological Sites in Nara Prefecture, which were inscribed in July 2026.
