Brief synthesisYakushima is a primeval temperate rainforest extending from the centre of the almost round-shaped, mountainous Yakushima Island. Thus, Yakushima is a valuable property having natural areas of biological, scientific and aesthetic significance on a small island. Criterion (ix): Yakushima is an island ecosystem with high mountains––a characteristic rare in the region at around 30 degrees north latitude. Designated in the following protected areas: Yakushima Wilderness Area, Yakushima National Park, Special Natural Monument, and Yakushima Forest Ecosystem Reserve, each of these designations has a system to protect the natural environment of Japan and has strict legal regulations regarding development and other activities. Yakushima National Park was gazette as Kirishima-Yaku National Park in 1964 under the Natural Parks Law and became an independent park in 2012.