The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's World Heritage Committee last month decided to put Mount Fuji, together with the Miho-no-Matsubara pine grove by Suruga Bay, on the U.N. agency's World Heritage list.
The 3,776-meter volcano straddling Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, which is Japan's highest and most famous peak, was designated a "cultural" rather than a "natural" site and registered under the title "Mt. Fuji: Object of Worship, Wellspring of Art."
While the designation is something to celebrate, it also means that the central government, local governments in the Mount Fuji area and the general public have a moral obligation to protect the mountain's nature and scenery.