The Agency for Cultural Affairs issued a notice Wednesday saying Mount Fuji was recommended for World Heritage status by the International Council on Monuments and Sites, a body affiliated with UNESCO.
Formal approval is expected in June at a World Heritage Committee meeting in Cambodia.
A collection of cultural sites in Kamakura, a scenic town near Tokyo that once was the nation’s capital, were not recommended.
Mount Fuji would be Japan’s 13th cultural World Heritage site. The 3,776-meter (12,388-foot) volcanic peak is ringed by lakes, national parks, temples and shrines. It rises from the Pacific coast and is seen as a sacred part of Japan’s cultural landscape both in Buddhist and indigenous Shinto traditions.
About 300,000 people follow religious pilgrims of centuries past in climbing Mount Fuji each year, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization, most of them crowding into a brief summer climbing season.
Local officials are already pondering how to improve traffic access and other facilities to accommodate an anticipated increase in visitors, while preserving the area’s natural beauty.
“It’s crucial that we preserve all the vantage points from which we can view Mount Fuji,” Shoji Watai, an expert on a cultural preservation panel of Fujinomiya city, one of several towns near the mountain.
The news pushed shares in Fuji Kyuko Co., a railway that serves the area, up 16 percent to their highest level since 1991.
5月1日，日本文化厅发表一则通知，富士山被国际古迹遗址理事会推荐列入世界遗产名录，此机构是联合国教科文组织的附属机构。
这项提议将在6月举行的柬埔寨世界遗产委员会会议上得到正式批准。
临近东京的古代都城镰仓并未受到推荐。
富士山将成为日本的第13个世界遗产。这座高3776米的火山四周环绕着湖泊、国家公园、寺庙及神社。它矗立于太平洋海岸之上，在佛教及日本本土的神道教传统中，都被认为是日本文化景观的圣地。
据日本国家旅游局统计， 每年，约有30万人跟随几世纪前虔诚朝圣者的脚步爬上富士山，登山时间大多集中在短暂的夏季。
当地官员已开始考虑采取措施改善交通及其他设施以满足未来越来越多的游客，而同时又不破坏自然的美景。
“保护好所有能一览富士山美景的观赏位置是十分重要的。”渡井庄司（音）是富士宫市文化保护小组的专家，富士宫市是富士山附近的一座小镇。
此消息推高了富士急行株式会社的股价，该公司是此区的铁道运输商，股价上升16%，达到自1991年来的最高点。