Special Lecture on World Heritage Held

15.03.2015

On January 10th, 2015, a special lecture on World Heritage was held at Iwaki Hall of 50th Anniversary Auditorium, sponsored by Cultural Assets Course, Faculty of Humanities, Hirosaki University.

Prof. OKADA Yasuyoshi, the Institute for Cultural Studies of Ancient Iraq, Kokushikan University, was invited for the lecture and introduced his profitable experience being a member of the executive committee in ICOMOS* from 2005 to 2011, that was “the process” including its criteria and evaluation to be declared as a world heritage site.

As of July, 2014, Japan has 18 World Heritage sites including “Shirakami”, that is registered a World Natural Heritage Site on Dec.11th, 1933, located in Aomori.

One of the sites in Japan is “The Atomic Bomb Dome” (Hiroshima), that inscribed as a Cultural Heritage in 1996. You are diffinitely sure how it was evaluated as being valuable for World Heritage sites, aren’t you?
It is not only the building had been exploded by the atomic bombed, but also it has become being the symbol, that is carrying on some messages telling the truth that many precious lived were killed by the atomic bombed and a hope for a permanent peace of the world.

World Heritage means “A gift” to us, that has been passed to now from ancient times, and also the common properties of humanity, that people living on the present should receive from the past and pass it to the future generations.

In addition, the people and the community who live there should realize how important to preserve World Heritage sites around us.
First thing to do is to learn its history and outstanding universal value (OUV) of the World Heritage being at the community you belong to. Next step is to raise awareness of people around the world and next generations to protect it including environments. (Registration may be deleted if damages or destruction would detract from the value.)

Here is a question;
What is the value of the World Natural Heritage Site of Shirakami?

The Shirakami Institute for Environmental Sciences  is investigating and researching on a rich ecosystem at Shirakami.
HP: https://www.hirosaki-u.ac.jp/shirakami/english/
Innovative Regional Research Center also helps to solve any matters coming up in the community including cultural assets.
HP: http://human.cc.hirosaki-u.ac.jp/irrc/english/greeting.html

Please feel free to contact with Hirosaki University!!

*ICOMOS: the International Council on Monuments and Sites