A sacred island and three reefs, as well as four other related sites in southwestern Japan, were added to UNESCO's World Heritage list on Sunday, the international body said.
The organization decided at a meeting in Krakow, southern Poland, to list the island of Okinoshima and the nearby reefs plus four other sites in Fukuoka Prefecture that a UNESCO preliminary review panel had recommended Japan should drop.
The four sites added per Japan's proposal include a set of ancient tombs on the northern tip of Kyushu and two Munakata Taisha Shrine pavilions. Okinoshima is home to Okitsumiya, another pavilion under the shrine.