Residents of an island chain near Okinawa have been left frustrated after the assessment process for the area's bid to make the UNESCO World Heritage List was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.
A World Heritage Committee session was originally set to be held in Fuzhou, China, from June 29 through July 9 but the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization said last month that consultations are underway to determine reschedule the session.
The natural heritage candidate site covers some 43,000 hectares across Amami-Oshima and Tokunoshima islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, as well as the northern part of Okinawa and Iriomote Island in Okinawa Prefecture.