Japan hails new UNESCO listing despite Korean qualms

File photo of the Hashima coal mine, known as "Battleship Island" in Nagasaki prefecture, Japan's southern island of Kyushu.

Tokyo (AFP) - Japan on Monday celebrated the inscription of Meiji-era industrial sites on UNESCO's World Heritage list, despite initial opposition from Seoul over the use of forced Korean labourers in the early 20th century.

UNESCO's World Heritage committee on Sunday added 23 sites considered representative of Japan's industrial revolution around the reign of Emperor Meiji (1868-1912) to its vaunted list.