A government panel Tuesday picked old industrial facilities in eight prefectures for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2015, following the recommendation last week by another panel of Christian properties in Kyushu, government officials said.
The government will have to select from the two proposals in September as countries are only allowed to recommend one World Heritage candidate each year to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
The panel of the Cabinet Secretariat selected the 28 industrial facilities, in Iwate, Shizuoka, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures, as representative of Japan's industrial revolution in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The facilities selected include the Yahata steelworks in Fukuoka and the Nagasaki shipyard. Both are still in operation.
The 13 Christian properties in Nagasaki and Kumamoto prefectures, recommended by the Council for Cultural Affairs on Aug. 23, include Oura Tenshudo Church in the city of Nagasaki, a national treasure.