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The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Hankyoreh photo archives)

Despite the promises of the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Japanese government reportedly plans to allow Japan’s “rising sun” flag to be brought into event venues during the Olympic Games.

“The design on the rising sun flag is widely used in Japan and is not a political statement. The rising sun flag is not on the list of banned items at event venues,” the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee was quoted as saying by the Asahi Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper, on Sunday.

That suggests that spectators will be allowed to bring the flag into venues.

“We’re not sure what the IOC and South Korea may have discussed, but the [Japanese government’s] guidelines [about the rising sun flag] haven’t changed since then,” an official from the organizing committee said in an interview with the Asahi Shimbun.

The rising sun flag, which supposedly represents Japan’s imperial period, has been criticized as a symbol of aggression and Japan’s war crimes. On Friday, members of Japanese right-wing groups once again drove to the Olympic Village in vehicles festooned with the flag and shouted critical remarks about Korea through loudspeakers.

On Saturday, the KSOC took down a series of banners hanging outside the Korean dormitory at Olympic Village that riffed on a famous saying attributed to Yi Sun-sin, an admiral who led the Joseon defense against a Japanese invasion in the late 16th century.

The Korean-language message on the banners said, “I still have the support of 50 million Koreans,” which alludes to Yi’s statement that “I still have 12 battleships.”

After Japanese far-right groups and media objected to the banners, the IOC requested their removal, asserting that the banners violated Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, which bans political propaganda.

The KSOC objected that the statement in question wasn’t political but ultimately agreed to the request. But the KSOC said it had also objected strongly to the display of Japan’s rising sun flag and that the IOC had promised to apply Rule 50 to that as well.

“The IOC did promise to apply Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter in making a decision about displaying the rising sun flag. [The final decision] is up to the IOC, just as with the banners,” said an official with the KSOC.

The KSOC put up new banners at the Olympic Village, saying “Team Korea” and the other saying “Tiger is Coming.”

“Tiger Is Coming” is the name of a song that appeared in a promotional video produced by the Korea Tourism Organization. The song was released in May 2020 by Leenalchi, a group that offers a modern take on traditional “gugak” music. The song has been enormously popular with YouTube viewers both in Korea and other countries.

“We put the brave tiger — symbolizing the Republic of Korea — on the banner to encourage our athletes,” a KSOC spokesperson explained.

By Lee Jun-hee, staff reporter

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