In a meeting held in Bonn, Germany on July 5, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee approved World Heritage Status for 23 industrial sites in Japan. Most notable (or controversial) of these sites is Gunkanjima — formally referred to as Hashima — which means "Battleship Island." Photo: AP
An abandoned undersea coalmine, Gunkanjima, is known for its shocking appearance with high seawalls surrounding the island on every side. Photo: AP
To gain World Heritage Status for Gunkanjima and the 22 other industrial sites, Japan was required by the committee to acknowledge the use of 60,000 forced labourers from South Korea in the 1940s. Photo: AP
Located in Nagasaki , Gunkanjima was abandoned in 1974 as petroleum began to replace coal. Developed during the Meiji era, the island stands as a vestige of Japan's industrial revolution. Photo: AP
Though once the most densely populated city in the world in 1959, with 7,301 people per kilometer square, years of direct exposure to typhoons have left the concrete city in ruins. Photo: AP
The abandoned island was opened for tourism in 2009. Photo: AP