As of 2021, Japan has 25 UNESCO world heritage sites, including twenty cultural and five natural heritage sites. Japan acceded to the World Heritage Convention in 1992, and the first four world heritage sites were added to the world heritage list in 1993. The last world heritage sites to date were registered in 2021.
| Name | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Shirakami-Sanchi (白神山地) | 1993 | Mountainous landscape of pristine forest in the prefectures of Akita and Aomori (natural world heritage site). |
| Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Temple Area | 1993 | Buddhist temple complex in the city of Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture. |
| Himeji Castle (姫路城) | 1993 | A 17th-century castle complex in the city of Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture. |
| Yakushima (屋久島) | 1993 | Forest of Japanese cedars on the island of Yakushima (natural world heritage site). |
| Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyōto | 1994 | Comprises seventeen sites located in the three cities of Kyōto, Uji and Ōtsu: Kamigamo Jinja, Shimogamo Jinja, Tō-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, Enryaku-ji, Daigo-ji, Ninna-ji, Byōdō-in, Ujigami Jinja, Kōzan-ji, Saihō-ji, Tenryū-ji, Kinkaku-ji, Ginkaku-ji, Ryōan-ji, Nishi Hongan-ji, Nijō-jō. |
| Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama, Gifu Prefecture | 1995 | Three historic villages in the Shōgawa river valley. |
| Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) | 1996 | Atomic bomb dome in Hiroshima Peace Park. |
| Itsukushima Shintō Shrine | 1996 | Shintō shrine on the island of Miyajima, Hiroshima Prefecture, with structures built over a bay. |
| Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara | 1998 | Comprising Tōdai-ji, Kōfuku-ji, Kasuga Taisha, Gangō-ji, Yakushi-ji, Tōshōdai-ji, Heijō Palace, Kasugayama Primeval Forest. |
| Shrines and Temples of Nikkō | 1999 | Comprising Tōshōgū (日光東照宮), Futarasan Shrine und Rinnō-ji in Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture. |
| Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryūkyū | 2000 | Comprising Tamaudun, Sonohyan-utaki Ishimon, Nakijin Castle, Zakimi Castle, Katsuren Castle, Nakagusuku Castle, Shuri Castle, Shikinaen, and Seifa-utaki. |
| Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range | 2004 | Comprising Seiganto-ji, Kumano Hayatama Taisha, Kongōbu-ji, Niukanshōfu Jinja, Kumano Hongū Taisha, Niutsuhime Jinja, Mount Yoshino, Ōminesan-ji, Kōyasan chōishi-michi, Jison-in, Yoshino Mikumari Jinja, Kinbu Jinja, Kimpusen-ji, Yoshimizu Jinja, Kumano Nachi Taisha, Nachi Falls, Nachi primaeval forest, Fudarakusan-ji, Kumano Kodō in the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama and Mie. |
| Shiretoko | 2005 | A peninsula and marine area in Hokkaidō (natural world heritage site). |
| Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape | 2007 | Comprising Yunotsu, Iwami Ginzan Kaidō Yunotsu-Okidomaridō, Site of Daikansho, Okidomari, Ginzan Sakunouchi, Site of Yataki-jō, Ōmori Ginzan, Miya-no-mae, Iwami Ginzan Kaidō Tomogauradō, Site of Yahazu-jō, Site of Iwami-jō, Kumagaika residence, Rakan-ji Gohyakurakan, Tomogaura in Shimane Prefecture. |
| Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land | 2011 | Chūson-ji, Mōtsū-ji, Kanjizaiō-in, Muryōkō-in, Kinkeizan temples in Iwate Prefecture. |
| Ogasawara Islands | 2011 | Comprising Chichijima, Hah-jima, Mukojima, Iwojima (natural world heritage site). |
| Fujisan, sacred place and source of artistic inspiration | 2013 | Comprising Mount Fuji, Fuji Five Lakes, Fujisan Hongū Sengen Shrine, Kitaguchi Hongū Fuji Sengen Shrine, Yamamiya Sengen Shrine, Murayama Sengen Shrine, Suyama Sengen Shrine, Higashiguchi Hongū Fuji Sengen Shrine, Kawaguchi Sengen Shrine, Fuji Omuro Sengen Shrine, Oshino Hakkai, Miho no Matsubara in Shizuoka and Yamanashi Prefectures. |
| Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites | 2014 | The silk spinning mill and silk factory in Tomioka were built by the Japanese government in 1872 using machinery imported from France. It is the oldest Japanese industrial silk factory. |
| Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining | 2015 | Hashima Coal Mine, Former Glover House, Shūseikan, Miike Coal Mine, Yawata Steel Works, Mutsurejima Lighthouse, Hagi reverberatory furnace, Shōkasonjuku Academy, Hagi castle town in Kyūshū , and Yamaguchi, Shizuoka and Iwate prefectures. |
| The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement | 2016 | Seventeen buildings by the architect Le Corbusier, including the main building of the National Museum of Western Art; the other sites are in France, Argentina, Belgium, Germany, India and Switzerland. |
| Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region | 2017 | Okinoshima, Munakata Taisha; Okinoshima is an island between Japan and Korea belonging to Munakata municipality. |
| Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region | 2018 | Ōura Cathedral, Hara Castle, Hirado Island; in the 16th century, missionaries introduced Christianity to Japan. Soon afterwards, it was banned and persecuted, forcing Christians to practice their rites secretly in remote places. The ten villages, the cathedral and the castle that comprise this World Heritage Site bear witness to the various phases of Christian history in Japan. |
| Mozu-Furuichi Kofungun, Ancient Tumulus Clusters | 2019 | Includes the Kofun group of Mozu-Furuichi, 49 burial mounds in Osaka Prefecture dating back to the Kofun Period. |
| Amami-Ōshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, the northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island | 2021 | Comprising Amami Ōshima, Tokunoshima, Yanbaru, Iriomote; part of the archipelago of the Ryūkyū Islands in southern Japan, with two islands belonging to the Amami Islands (Amami-Ōshima and Tokunoshima in the prefecture of Kagoshima) as well as the northern part of the Okinawa Islands. |
| Jōmon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan | 2021 | Seventeen archaeological sites of the Jōmon culture in southern Hokkaido and in the north of the Tōhoku region. |
Tentative list:
The following sites were nominated for inclusion in the World Heritage List and entered into the tentative list. Currently, the tentative list of Japan comprises five sites, the last entry was added in 2012. The following table lists the sites in chronological order according to the year of their inclusion.| Name | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Temples, Shrines and other structures of Ancient Kamakura | 1992 | Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū, Jufuku-ji, Kenchō-ji, Zuisen-ji, Kōtoku-in, Kakuon-ji, Ruins of Buppō-ji, Ruins of Yōfuku-ji, Ruins of the Hokkedō, Ruins of the Hōjō Tokiwa Residence, Kamegayatsuzaka Pass, Kehaizaka Pass, Daibutsu Pass, Gokuraku-ji, Engaku-ji, Egara Tenjin Shrine, Jōkōmyō-ji, Asahina Pass, Ruins of Tōshō-ji, Nagoshi Pass, Shōmyō-ji, Wakae Island |
| Hikone Castle | 1992 | Hikone Castle in Shiga Prefecture |
| Asuka-Fujiwara: Archaeological Sites of Japan's Ancient Capitals and Related Properties | 2007 | Ishibutai Kofun, Takamatsuzuka Tomb, Kitora Tomb, Kawara-dera, Asuka-dera, Oka-dera, Yamada-dera, Fujiwara-kyō, Yamato Sanzan in Nara Prefecture |
| The Sado complex of heritage mines, primarily gold mines | 2010 | A complex of former gold mines on Sado island, Niigata Prefecture. |
| Hiraizumi - Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land (extension) | 2012 | Planned extension of the world heritage site “Hiraizumi - temples, gardens and archaeological sites of Pure Land Buddhism, comprising Shirotori-tate Site, Takkoku-no-Iwaya, Yanagi-no-Gosho Site, Chojagahara Haiji Site, Honedera-mura Shoen Site |
