Ogasawara isles, Hiraizumi urged for World Heritage list

The Hiraizumi area in Iwate Prefecture and the Ogasawara Islands will be proposed for listing as World Heritage sites in 2011, the government said Friday.

A temporary recommendation for the two sites will be sent to the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization this month, and a formal one will follow in January, they said.

The Ogasawara island chain covers some 7,400 hectares and encompasses Chichijima Island, Hahajima Island and surrounding seas.

Rare species such as the Bonin flying fox, a protected species, live on the islands.

Hiraizumi, the base of a powerful samurai clan led by the Oshu Fujiwara family in Iwate Prefecture in the 12th century, was recommended to UNESCO once in 2006 on the grounds that its architecture and gardens are artistic masterpieces that re-create the Buddhist concept of heaven. It was turned down in 2008.

For its second attempt, the focus was narrowed to six sites, including Chusonji Temple.