Mount Fuji Poised To Be Japan's Next UNESCO World Heritage Site

Japan's Mount Fuji is looming over a likely acceptance to the register of UNESCO World Heritage sites, according to an announcement that came late Tuesday from the advisory panel known as the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).

Mt. Fuji, known to the Japanese as Fujisan, is a 3,776-meter (12,460 feet), stratovolcano iconic to the Japanese landscape. It is Japan's tallest mountain, covering some 70,000 hectacres with its southern flank extending down to the water's edge at Suruga Bay, making it one of the highest mountains in the world when measured from sea level, according to UNESCO.

The mountain has long held a place at the heart of Japanese culture, being depicted in countless works of art, including Katsushika Hokusai's Fugaku Sanjūrokkei (Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji). It is also one of the traditional "Three Holy Mountains" - along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku, both in central Japan.

The ICOMOS council recommended Mt. Fuji as appropriate for registration to the list of World Heritage sites. A formal decision is expected when UNESCO's World Heritage committee meets in Cambodia in June.

Mt. Fuji was submitted for World Heritage status at least as early as 2007, according to UNESCO data.

The mountain is a national symbol of Japan and blends religious and artistic traditions, government officials said, according to the Japan Times.

"We are delighted to hear the news. Once Mount Fuji is registered as a World Heritage site, we hope it will be known to more people," said an official of Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture, at the foot of the mountain, Japan Times reported.

The volcano last erupted about 300 years ago. It lies just southwest of Tokyo and can be seen from the metropolis on clear days.

Japan currently has 16 World Heritage sites, including 12 cultural and four natural.  The most recent addition to the list was made in 2011 with the Buddhism-linked gardens and temples of Hiraizumi.