Southwest Japan islands added to UNESCO World Heritage list

UNESCO decided Monday to add a chain of islands in southwestern Japan with dense subtropical forests to its natural World Heritage list, Japanese government officials said.The World Heritage Committee of the U.N. organization decided during an online session to list as Japan's fifth World Natural Heritage site the 43,000 hectare area, comprising Amami-Oshima Island and Tokunoshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture as well as the northern part of the main Okinawa Island and Iriomote Island in Okinawa Prefecture.The decision follows the recommendation in May by a UNESCO advisory panel that the i…READ FULL ARTICLE