While the people behind the bid to have Meiji-era industrial sites recognized with UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status celebrated their efforts Monday, they also noted that a raft of issues that must still be tackled.

UNESCO on Sunday decided to add the "Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution" to the list. The sites, which consist of 23 facilities and span eight prefectures, from the southern tip of Kyushu to the northern end of Honshu, recognize them as symbols of the nation's industrial modernization from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Japan was the first non-Western nation to have an industrial revolution outside of the West.

Nearly 400 locals gathered Monday at a cultural center in Izunokuni, Shizuoka Prefecture, to watch the UNESCO committee's meeting live-streamed on a large screen. Upon hearing the announcement, the crowd jumped from their seats to give a rowdy chorus of banzai three times to celebrate the moment.