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The Rising Sun Flag on a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer.

A Japanese news outlet published an editorial criticizing the Japanese government’s decision to permit the Rising Sun Flag in stadiums during next year’s Olympics and Paralympics events.

In an editorial titled “Olympics and the Rising Sun Flag: Reconsider permission” on Sept. 25, the Tokyo Shimbun wrote that the flag “has a historical context and could trigger objections from neighboring countries” and urged the government to “reconsider the measure, if only for the sake of a successful event.”

Regarding Tokyo’s claim that the Rising Sun Flag does not constitute political propaganda due to its widespread use by the public as an emblem to wish for a large fishing haul, the newspaper said, “The cases used commercially for fishing and company flags don’t have anything but a few design elements representing the sun. The government’s claim that these are widely adopted by the public are a stretch.”

“It is also a historical fact that [the Rising Sun flag] was used in the past as a flag of the Japanese military. Furthermore, it continues to appear frequently in Japan today as a symbol of militarism and nationalism,” the editorial noted.

As an example of the Rising Sun Flag actually affecting a sporting event, the newspaper pointed to its use in cheering at the 2017 AFC Champions League tournament. During that event, a display of the Rising Sun Flag by supporters of Kawasaki Frontale resulting in the AFC imposing a fine, contending that the flag represented a “banner or flag with political or provocative content.”

The Japanese government itself has requested that fans refrain from taking the Rising Sun Flag to past sporting events. Recalling a request from the Japanese Embassy in China asking Japanese spectators not to take the flag into event venues during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the newspaper wrote, “Do they mean to suggest that it’s all right so long as they are the ones hosting the Olympics? The Japanese government’s stance is contradictory.”

The editorial went on to say, “The Olympics have always stressed the aim of pursuing the protection of human dignity and a peaceful society. An important role of the host country is to prepare a gentle environment that allows [athletes] to concentrate on the competition.”

By Cho Ki-weon, Tokyo correspondent

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]