Sado mine

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Sado mine

Sado Mine (Aikawa Gold and Silver Mine) Location of Aikawa Gold and Silver Mine
Location
Sado mine Show map of Niigata Prefecture Sado mine Show map of Japan
Niigata Prefecture
Country	Japan
Coordinates	38°2′29.83″N 138°15′21.17″E / 38.0416194°N 138.2558806°E / 38.0416194; 138.2558806
Production
Products	Silver, gold
History
Closed	1989
National Historic Site of Japan

The Sado gold mine (佐渡金山, Sado Kinzan) is a generic term for gold and silver mines which were once located on the island of Sado in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.^[1][2] Among these mines, the Aikawa Gold and Silver Mine (相川金銀山, Aikawa kinginzan) was the largest and was in operation until the modern era. According to Korean sources copper was extracted during WWII using from 1,000 to 2,000 forced Korean laborers, drafted under Japanese colonial rule of Korea.^[3][4][5] In 2015 Japan's Ambassador to UNESCO Kuni Sato acknowledged the forced labor history.^[6]

The Sado Gold and Silver Mine was inscribed on Japan's World Heritage Tentative List under the title "The Sado Complex of Heritage Mines, Primarily Gold Mines" in 2010. In 2024 they were listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. As part of this process, Japan installed an exhibit acknowledging poor work conditions, but critics alledge there are no mentions of forced labor in the exhibit.^[7][8]