Japan fans warned about rising sun flag
Japanese sporting fans have been warned not to fly Japan’s “rising sun” flag at the Olympics, because it might anger Chinese, who have been taught to identify the flag with Japan’s militaristic past:
“We explain in a safety guideline for Japanese tourists coming to see the Olympics that the old military flag may cause trouble,” Norio Saito, a Beijing Embassy official told Reuters on Friday.
The “rising sun” flag, with 16 rays extending from a red sun on a white background, was displayed by the Imperial Japanese Navy and is still the emblem of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces, as the current navy is known.
The embassy guideline notes that flags and banners of a political, ethnic or religious nature are banned at Olympic venues and discourages Japanese tourists from showing items that could conjure up bitter memories of the wartime past, which still haunt Sino-Japanese ties six decades later.
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The Rising Sun flag is still the official flag of the Japanese Imperial…ehem…Maritime Self Defence Force??? Didn’t know that. How did they manage to get away with that in the early-1950s when the MSDF was formed?
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It used to be the official flag of the Imperial Navy of Japan. But when the MSDF was formed, they discussed what the best symbol flag to be recognized as the new MSDF. Then they chose it because the rising sun flag was widely recognised among the world. Also, the design is bright, so another reason was it is easy to be recognized and identified as Japanese ships on the wide ocean.
In addition, the Imperial Navy’s image was not as bad as the Imperial Army at that time, so it was relatively easy to succeed the flag.
Another reason is, the rising sun flag is the symbol of creating the modern navy, which protected Japan from the western colonization. I’m not meaning anything, but Japan was the only state which could modernize in the non-white states at that time. In Asia, Thai and Japan were the only exceptions from the western colonization. Of course, the rising sun flag also became the symbol of Japan’s aggression later though.
But the Imperial Navy defeated the Russian Baltic Fleet during the Russo-Japanese War. So from the positive aspects of the history and tradition of the rising sun flag, many people supported it as the new MSDF’s official flag. Not only the US, but also others didn’t claim about this at that time. I remember they rather welcomed the MSDF’s decision to succeed the good tradition of the Imperial Navy since the history of defeating the Russian Baltic Fleet was widely recognized as one of the greatest marine victories in the world history. So the rising sun flang has two faces, which are bright and dark.
If I’m a supporter in Beijing now, I’ll not use the rising sun flag in China though.
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The rising sun flag is still the official flag of Asahi newspaper.
The star flag is still the official flag of China, under which massacre has been taking place, etc.
Taegukgi flag is still official flag of south Korea,though it is no longer client state of China,etc.
It is morbid to train people to react against the flag like a crazy man..
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Mind you that’s the “Korean loving, Japanese hating, communist, left wing rag” Asahi Shimbun that uses the rising sun flag.
Personally I feel this regulation should be ignored and Japanese fans should display the symbol they desire. This doesn’t mean being rude about it, but if the Chinese can’t take seeing a flag they shouldn’t be hosting the Olympics in the first place.
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And why doesn’t Germany still use the Swastika? You could say many of the same things about recognizability, for sure.
We have the same issue in the USA with the old Confederate flag or the rebel South, which was still flown alongside or used in the state flags of Alabama, South Carolina and Georgia until around 2001, while the state of Mississippi STILL has it as part of their state flag.
It is mainly seen as a symbol of racism and slavery by most, or a symbol of rebellion by the rednick hicks who still insist on displaying it.
But in general, I always thought it was kind of improper for a country that loses a war to keep flying the old flag, especially if they started the war and are neighbors to several countries they had invaded.
The continued display of the rising sun flag still seems wrong to me. It’s just another gesture to pay homage to the right-wing nuts who also require the leaders to visit Yasukuni Shrine each year. Are they going to visit next week, I wonder? The Olympics will still be going on then. If Japan doesn’t want to anger Chinese fans with this flag, are they also going to take steps this year on the Yasukuni Shrine insanity?
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I had English student the other day that SWORE the US’ interference in Japanese colonies in Manchuria was the true cause of Pearl Harbor.
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Well, to be fair the US and the UK were waging economic war on the Japanese and more or less not playing fair in the Pacific. See the Washington Naval Conference. Its not as though the US was completely innocent in the matter, but that is old news.
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I love the U.S. flag.but it makes me sad to see the U.S. stop displaying the stars and stripes just because many people of the countries,especially Islamic countries, happen to be trained to see it as a symbol of imperialism, warmonger etc.,
It might be wise to refrain from showing it in certain countries, though.
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from my point of view. If they got a problem with our Flag, thats their problem and they are gonna have to get used to it. Its our Flag, its out pride, you don’t like it? Screw You. That’ll be my answer.
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“And why doesn’t Germany still use the Swastika? You could
say many of the same things about recognizability, for sure.”
That’s because Swastika was the symbol of National Socialist Party but not the German military.The Bundedwehr still uses the good ol’ cross of iron.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundeswehr
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Despite the ugly history, I happen to think this flag is pretty sharp. The design is pretty unique.
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I think both the hinomaru and the kyokujitsu-ki are graphically striking and beautifully designed, but I applaud those who warn against their use, especially in China. Young people should be aware of the negative connotations they have in Asia and why this is so.
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And why doesn’t Germany still use the Swastika? You could say many of the same things about recognizability, for sure.
Because its banned in Germany. Every form of it. Everything what could be related to the Nazis…
Imho its ok to ban flags, but its retarded to ban a symbol for being missused. (i´m from Germany)
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It was wise and nice of Japanese athletes to waive Japanese flag and Chinese flag, when entering the stadium.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/olympic/2008/photograph/garticle.htm?ge=18&gr=490&id=22088
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/olympic/2008/photograph/garticle.htm?ge=18&gr=490&id=22082
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It seems to me that the rising sun in China bears a connotation similar to the swastika in Europe.
In a perfectly cogent world, no one would object to the flags themselves, only to what they may stand for. But of course it doesn’t work that way, and it’s difficult for Chinese people to dissociate the rising sun from the wrongs Japan did to them some decades ago, even though I doubt Japanese supporters would mean it that way.
It would certainly befit Japanese supporters better to take the high road and simply use the regular flag to cheer. Olympics, especially for this iteration, are after all more about diplomacy than sports, and you wouldn’t want to make a poor showing.
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A flag is suppose to represent the pride of one’s home country. If China is having a ball with it, then they just need to grow up and stop living in the PAST!!
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So you don’t care about Sino-Japanese relationship?
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One could also argue that any flag with a hammer and sickle on it should also not be flown, given that Communism had yielded 130 million deaths worldwide (that’s the middle range of a debateable figure, http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/COM.ART.HTM ) in less than a century of its purges, gulags and death/labor camps, political executions, and mass starvation due to idiotic leadership. Chinese Communism is likely responsible for the deaths of 30-40 million Chinese people.
Even Japan’s most notorius terrorism cases were committed by Communists.
Communism had killed more people than any other “ism” including Nazism, and Japanese imperialism. Although admittedly these other “isms” only lasted a decade or so each, thus less time for racking up a high score.
But, Communist flags and Communist leaders get a pass in the left-leaning media, who would rather just ignore this inconvenient truth.
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Japan have the right to show the pride of the Japanese Flag. Just as much as anyother country . The Olympics is only sports not politics or government control.
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