Japanese rising sun badge upsets some at Asian Games

Just absurd.

This badge design has been used for long, and never be brought to such an issue. And as Ossan says, it is ridiculous to always connect the sun representing design to Japanese imperialism.

Why aren't they claiming anything about the symbols of Unification Church. (It's so funny they have changed their symbol in the English Wiki.)

http://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%84%B8%EA%B3%84%ED%8F%89%ED%99%94%ED%86%B5%EC%9D%BC%EA%B0%80%EC%A0%95%EC%97%B0%ED%95%A9

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_Church

or the symbol of Asahi Shimbun ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asahi_Shimbun

It's nothing but opportunitism.

Actually, Koreans started claiming "histerically" about the rising sun flag from just 2-3 years ago.

Further, this is not the action the host coutry of sports event should take for the guest countries who have came for the friendship. The attitude of the school teachers is the worst.

The flag is considered offensive in China and South Korea

So many many things are considered offensive in ROK and PRC that one has trouble remembering them all. Is it your suggestion Wooster that Japan should change its historical flag - in use long before WW2 - to appease the nationalists in PRC and ROK?

For Koreans and Chinese, it's the exact equivalent of a Nazi symbol.

Well its really nothing like the swastika which was originally a symbol of auspiciousness in several cultures before being hijacked and corrupted by the Nazis for a relatively short period (no more than thirty years). The sixteen ray flag, in contrast, has been in use in Japan since the Edo period. It has been the flag of the Navy since the late 1800s, was once the national flag, and is a common symbol of good fortune throughout Japan. Even your beloved Asahi Shimbun uses it in their logo.

It's hideous.

That's your opinion. I think its beautiful.

Koreans are creative, Every few days, some people in Korea create a topic to accuse Japan's past. Japanese are used to hear that. Now, sport badge. We will hear more of Japan accusation in JT Sport Board from now on. BTW there are Rising Sun named schools in USA. For example, Rising Sun Jr HS in MD., .

lucabrasiSep. 20, 2014 - 01:20PM JST @Ossan Agreed it's a naval ensign. So how many ships does the Japan Hockey Association have?

The JMSDF ensign itself uses 16 rays, The JGSDF flag uses 8. The badge in question uses what, 4-5? In other words, the mere "resemblance" to the 16 rayed naval ensign is enough for some Koreans to get bent out of shape. Yet they have no complaints about the Asahi Shinbun symbol? The newspaper that helped create the Comfort Women controversy by publishing a fabricated story? http://wpcontent.answcdn.com/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3f/Flag_of_the_Asahi_Shinbun_Company.svg/220px-Flag_of_the_Asahi_Shinbun_Company.svg.png And for the off the ledge anti-JP extremists, the Japanese naval ensign has NOTHING to do with the Nazi swastika.

Its offensive for them because they HATE Japan, and actually Rising Flag represent fighting spirit of Japan, and thats why Korea and China are so against that flag, because they want to broke Japan spirit, not to forget, Korean and China ARE biggest enemies of Japan, and next to them are all those westerners that want to change Japan to their liking , as @smitingjapan is so hard truing to do .

Well, we know YOU can't, but the team and the Japanese association that allowed it in general can and should be. The youth may not know that the flag in question causes negative sentiment, but the staff with them most certainly do, and they made the choice to wear them despite knowing that -- so it's on them, not the South Koreans who are offended. You may not like it, but that's the way it is. Period.

Smith

Like others have alluded, Japan cannot simply keep up with the "hate trend SK style" so your assumption of "them" "knowing that" is simply your overestimation of Korea and nothing more. Like virgo stated, the image can be found in the symbol of Unification Church and Korean's favorite "Asahi Shinbun". It's a big joke on the Koreans and the more they cry, more people in Japan are coming to a conclusion that they may not be sane.

BertieWoosterSep. 20, 2014 - 11:16PM JST OssanAmerica, Whether you want to admit it or not, the Rising Sun Flag is not well received by Koreans and Chinese

That's funny because Koreans were fighting under that flag in WWII. The father of the President of South Korea was an officer in the Kwantung Army of IJA. probably killing Chinese.

Hard to judge without pictures of the badges...

The Koreans who are enjoying the games and rooting for their teams are normal Korean people. Those who are complaining about the badge are fools. The entire effort by anti-Jpn Koreans to make the 16 rayed flag a symbol of "past imperialism" is typically ridiculous. That is a Japanese naval ensign, in use by the JMDSF which train together wit the US Navy flying that ensign. So since the Stars & Stripes fly alongside that flag, is the U.S. an imperialist power too?

Japanese have been using that symbol in different events/competition for a long time. Only Koreans are making a big deal out ot it. Other countries are not even complaining. Btw, my country was underJapan for many years during WWII and they've been using that symbol that time... but we didn't even reacted on that in the Asian games~

Agreed, but it was still a pretty dumb choice to use it, and they absolutely HAD to know it would cause this kind of problem.

Sorry smith. But I simply cannot blame the Japan Hockey Association to be in tune with Korea's propensity to create another anti Japan issue which in this case started just 3 years ago. The existence of the symbol of JHA originated MUCH, MUCH longer than this recent Korean hwabyung.

tinawatanabeSep. 20, 2014 - 04:34PM JST What is Japan's Foreign Minisry doing? Why do they do nothing against SKorea's ever increasing Japan-bashing? Why do Japan's young athletes have to suffer from SK in each international sports event like this? What a incredibly incompetent and lazy people Foreign Ministry is!

Tina, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan is doing much better than before, as far as I see their web site. I hope them to add a section to explain the meaning and the actual history of Japanese rising sun flag. There is nothing we have to be ashamed of this design.

http://www.mofa.go.jp/

It used to be so scarce and powerless in arguing back to anti-Japan propaganda. I suppose this improvement is because Japanese people are determined to fight back. ROK has passed the line they should not have passed. Particularly, they have ignitted the anger of Japanese women; our lethal weapon in a meaning.

Some Koreans have noticed this, but it may be too late.

http://www.chogabje.com/board/column/view.asp?C_IDX=57172&C_CC=BC

http://oboega-01.blog.jp/archives/1009366359.html

It evokes bad memories in Koreans and Chinese people and it is their feelings we are talking about, not ours.

The people doing the complaining were not even alive during the occupation. They just want to complain because they are the type of people, (like anywhere in the world for that matter) that look to lay the blame of their own failings on someone else.

Ossan,

is the U.S. an imperialist power too?

Maybe not to the South Koreans, but ask their neighbors...

virgo98 It is hardly enough for MFAJ to explain Japan's position on its website. They are not school children, they are diplomats. They have to work for Japan's interest in the world stage. They say they install Japan House, but it is for "Cool Japan". Maybe they don't like doing lobbying as I suspected.

Hinomaru is more suitable than rising sun, Hinomaru is not as new as rising sun that was Navy symbol. /Hinomaru will be criticized but J Sport assoc can bark back better than rising sun. ,

Rising sun appears on U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo emblem, some other US emblems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Fleet_Activities_Sasebo

BertieWooster At that time, Japanese conscription was only for Japanese. Koreans applied for being J solders.

Bertie, You shouldn't insult other countries' anthems or flags at international sports events. By the way, I heard that Japan team' accommoodation was on 22nd floor, but the elevetor was out of order, so J team had to walk up and down. Their shower was out of order. And this harassment about badges. What a host.

Japanese field hockey players training at a high school in Incheon, just west of Seoul, handed out the badges as souvenirs to about 20 schoolgirls.

Souvenirs, people. Souvenirs.

What is Japan's Foreign Minisry doing? Why do they do nothing against SKorea's ever increasing Japan-bashing? Why do Japan's young athletes have to suffer from SK in each international sports event like this? What a incredibly incompetent and lazy people Foreign Ministry is!

Back on topic please.

This is their emblem, you can see it in upper left angle, http://www.en.hockey.or.jp/ , and Koreans know from the start it will be like this . Adn bdw, only two biggest haters of Japan has a problem with this flag, and also those who work against Japan all day and night .

@Ossan

Agreed it's a naval ensign. So how many ships does the Japan Hockey Association have?

nigelboy: "Sorry smith. But I simply cannot blame the Japan Hockey Association"

Well, we know YOU can't, which is why you can't blame some South Koreans for getting upset (you never change your right-wing defense of Japan and denials of history, so don't expect them to stop saying you need to), but everyone who knows they COULD have changed it certainly can blame them.

tinawatanabe: "Why do they do nothing against SKorea's ever increasing Japan-bashing?"

You're right -- they should be insisting the Japanese government properly apologize and make atonement for the massacres committed in the past (instead of denying them in some cases), as well as admitting to the fact, as actual soldiers who were there and involved have done, that women were forced by imperial Japan into sexual slavery, raped, and so on. Until then, don't blame this on South Korea or any other group of people you declare are 'Japan bashing' when you cannot defend Japan's behaviour and/or actions.

"Why do Japan's young athletes have to suffer from SK in each international sports event like this?"

Ummm... like what other ones are all Japan's young athletes the terrible victims of this horrible and grotesque international inhumanity you speak of besides these games in South Korea? You're not only playing the victim card here, but exaggerating on who's wounded as a result of the Japan team actions.

"What a incredibly incompetent and lazy people Foreign Ministry is!"

Well, I agree with you there. For different reasons, though.

OssanAmerica,

Koreans were fighting under that flag in WWII.

Sure. At the time Korea was a Japanese colony.

Do you imagine they enjoyed fighting under the Rising Sun Flag?

If you want to find why so many Koreans bear animosity to Japan, you might read up on it a little.

You could start here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Japanese_sentiment_in_Korea

Le sigh. Maybe in 10,000 years when SK is ready to drop all this, Japan should retire this flag.

tinawatanabe,

There is more to it.

Please check it out. There is plenty of information on the Internet.

Koreans were treated by the Japanese military as slaves. Many saw military action. Many more were undoubtedly used as "cannon fodder."

There are reasons for the animosity of Koreans and Chinese to Japan and for why they find the Rising Sun Flag offensive. It is not just a PR stunt.

During WWII, however, upwards of 400,000 Korean males were forced to serve in the Japanese military. (Yahoo)

*Starting in 1938, Koreans both enlisted and were conscripted into the Japanese military and the first "Korean Voluntary" Unit was formed. (Wikipedia)**

Starting in 1944, Japan started conscription of Koreans into the armed forces. (Wikipedia)

*The meaning of "voluntary" is open to interpretation as it could imply undocumented pressures and other forms of duress; furthermore, there is clear testimony from contemporary sources that Japanese regulations with regards to Korea on paper were frequently ignored.

Why did they do that?.....I think it was done on purpose. There is nothing positive about that flag.

It's what japanese find happy doing things intentionally that others don't like. As a proof case point is resume whaling despite of the ICJ ruling, and a couple more recent incidents in other settings. How about the last Olympic?

Why did they do that?.....I think it was done on purpose. There is nothing positive about that flag.

OssanAmerica,

Whether you want to admit it or not, the Rising Sun Flag is not well received by Koreans and Chinese. It always was a Military Flag and was a highly visible symbol of the Japanese Imperial Army from the 19th Century to the end of WWII. It evokes bad memories in Koreans and Chinese people and it is their feelings we are talking about, not ours.

Discussing how many rays it has is meaningless as the Hockey League badge is similar enough to trigger bad feelings.

This was posted in Kuchikomi in Japan Today last June:

“Did you know this flag was used by the military of the Empire of Japan in the Second World War? It’s a symbol of Imperial Japan and among the countries of Asia stirs up feelings to the same degree as a Nazi flag does in the West. Is it possible you could take down this advertisement?”

The above, reports J-cast News (June 18), is how an unnamed South Korean female student in France objected to a poster bearing the Japanese rising sun flag. In response, the chain agreed to remove the posters.

If you still don't believe it, try Googling "Rising Sun Flag offensive," and see what you come up with.

Ossan: "The entire effort by anti-Jpn Koreans to make the 16 rayed flag a symbol of "past imperialism" is typically ridiculous."

Agreed, but it was still a pretty dumb choice to use it, and they absolutely HAD to know it would cause this kind of problem.

nigelboy: "Sorry smith. But I simply cannot blame the Japan Hockey Association"

Well, we know YOU can't, but the team and the Japanese association that allowed it in general can and should be. The youth may not know that the flag in question causes negative sentiment, but the staff with them most certainly do, and they made the choice to wear them despite knowing that -- so it's on them, not the South Koreans who are offended. You may not like it, but that's the way it is. Period.

tinawatanabe: "Why do they do nothing against SKorea's ever increasing Japan-bashing?"

They could start by suggesting they don't wear flags or wave pictures or what have you that could cause trouble overseas, regardless of whether the trouble is warranted or not.

"Why do Japan's young athletes have to suffer from SK in each international sports event like this?"

Excuse me? "EACH International sports"? Which, pres tel, are you speaking of besides this one? In any case stop acting like the Japanese team wearing these flags and others taking offense is anyone's fault but the Japanese team's -- the team are not the victims (unless you are blaming the Ministry for allowing it or forcing the athletes to use them), the people complaining may well have been victims of Japanese atrocities under such a flag, though. I wonder if you'd call it "America-bashing" if an Okinawan became upset upon seeing a US military service-person in their neighbourhood in uniform when they did not need to be (or their signs, what have you), or a Japanese victim or relative of a victim talking proudly about how the atomic bombings were a GOOD thing. Would you blame the people who were upset?

It's hideous.

For Koreans and Chinese, it's the exact equivalent of a Nazi symbol.

I wonder, is this being done deliberately by Abe and the ultra right in Japan to deliver an "akanbe" to these countries?

Wikipedia states:

The flag is considered offensive in China and South Korea

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rising_Sun_Flag