Japan has yet to make good on a promise made when Hashima Island, where Koreans were forcibly taken for labor during World War II, won the UNESCO World Heritage status in 2015.

Japan's followup report posted on the UNESCO World Heritage Committee(WHC) website Friday failed to provide the full historical context surrounding the island and other sites of the country's Meiji industrial revolution, where the wartime forced labor of Koreans took place.

The report was requested by the UNESCO committee in September 2023, when it adopted a decision urging Japan to communicate with related countries and to fulfill its pledges as a followup to the World Heritage designation.

At the time of the UNESCO listing, Tokyo promised to take steps to remember the victims, including setting up an information center at the heritage site.

The country, however, came under fire after setting up the information center in the capital Tokyo and failing to exhibit the Korean laborers' testimonies about the harsh working conditions.
 
In a statement, Seoul's foreign ministry spokesperson expressed regret that the WHC's repeated decisions and Japan's promised followup measures have not been faithfully carried out.

The spokesperson then urged Japan to promptly and sincerely implement the followup measures in line with its own commitments to the international community.