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Paper short abstract

This paper analyzes Japan’s UNESCO diplomacy around 1972, focusing on how the Japanese government understood the notion of "universality" in the World Heritage Convention. It argues that Japan’s interpretation reveals a deeper tension between national interests and UNESCO’s universal values.

Paper long abstract

The Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (commonly known as the World Heritage Convention) was adopted at the UNESCO General Conference in 1972 and entered into force in 1975. As of August 2025, 196 State Parties have ratified the Convention, and 1,248 World Heritage sites have been inscribed – 972 cultural, 235 natural, and 41 mixed. In Japan, public interest in the initiative has remained strong, with 21 cultural and 5 natural sites registered to date. More recently, the Japanese government has recognized the political significance of World Heritage inscription, particularly regarding cultural properties, and has actively promoted “World Heritage diplomacy”, led primarily by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Despite this, Japan did not ratify the Convention until 1992, twenty years after its adoption, becoming the 125th State Party. Previous explanations for this delay have mainly cited domestic reasons: Japan’s existing legal framework for cultural property protection led the Agency for Cultural Affairs to see limited merit in ratification, while the Ministry of Finance expressed concerns over financial contributions. However, these accounts overlook the deeper epistemological factors shaping Japan’s delayed accession. This paper, therefore, examines Japan’s UNESCO diplomacy during the period surrounding the adoption of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, aiming to elucidate the Japanese government’s initial conceptualization of World Heritage. Particular focus is placed on how the notion of “universality”, a core principle of World Heritage framework, was understood and interpreted by Japanese officials. Through this analysis, the paper argues that an inherent tension between national interests and universal values is embedded within UNESCO’s World Heritage initiative.