The government on Friday decided to nominate ancient tumulus clusters in Osaka Prefecture as a UNESCO World Heritage site candidate for 2019.

The government will submit a letter of recommendation to UNESCO by Feb. 1, with an eye on the Mozu-Furuichi Kofungun, one of the largest ancient tombs in Japan, being registered in the spring of 2019.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), a UNESCO advisory panel, will inspect the site in September this year to decide whether to recommend the tumulus clusters for final consideration by the World Heritage Committee.