UNESCO body recommends Japan's Asuka-Fujiwara sites for heritage list

TOKYO - A UNESCO advisory body has recommended adding a group of ancient sites in Nara Prefecture that show the formation of Japan's centralized state to the World Cultural Heritage list, the cultural affairs agency said Saturday.

A formal decision on the "Asuka-Fujiwara: Archaeological sites of Japan's Ancient Capitals and Related Properties" is expected to be made at a meeting of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Committee to be held in South Korea from July 19 to 29.