History is a subjective narrative of human evolution, written by winners. Although the latter part of this statement might be controversial, the former should certainly be taken into account when talking about Hashima, an island without greenery, famous for its silhouette's similarity to the Japanese battleship Tosa. The past can be interpreted in many ways, and Hashima is a good example of this. Located in Nagasaki Prefecture, the 84-year old coal mine located beneath the island has contributed immensely to Japan's industrialisation and modernisation and shaped it into the country we know today. Due to its seemingly prosperous history, Hashima was also inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015 as part of the Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution. However, as mentioned, there is another side to the island's story that many deem controversial; Hashima also serves as a reminder of the bitter past of forced mobilisation of Korean inhabitants during the Japanese Empire in the 1930s and 1940s. Hence its inscription on the UNESCO list caused a dispute between Japan and South Korea that is still unresolved today. The primary aim of the thesis is to present the historical circumstances that led to this dispute, while the purpose of the core part of my work is to illustrate the dispute, erupted between two countries, through the unfolding of the nomination process and what followed after.
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