Flag of Japan

What the flag of Japan looks like

The flag of Japan has a plain white field with a single crimson-red disc. The proportions are 2:3, and the diameter of the disc is three-fifths of the height of the flag. The disc is placed exactly in the center. Under the 1870 rules the disc was in the center in principle but was usually placed slightly toward the hoist, and the 1999 law moved it to the center.

It is one of the simplest national flags, with no text, emblems or stripes. In Japan the flag is called Nisshoki ("sun-mark flag") in its formal name and Hinomaru in everyday speech. Many people learn to draw it as a child. The Japan flag emoji follows the same design, and you can find print-ready files on the Japan flag download page.

Japan flag meaning and symbolism

The red disc is the sun. The sun has long held a central place in Japanese culture and religion. The imperial family is traditionally linked with the sun goddess Amaterasu in Shinto mythology, and the name Nippon (or Nihon) is written with characters that mean "origin of the sun". Seen from China, Japan lay to the east, where the sun rises, which is where the phrase "land of the rising sun" comes from.

The colors are often explained in simple terms: white for honesty and purity, and red for sincerity, passion and warmth. These are common readings in Japan, but the law that describes the flag does not assign a formal meaning to the colors.

History of the Japanese flag

A red sun on a plain background has been used in Japan for hundreds of years. Feudal lords and warriors carried it on war fans and banners, and it was used by warlords in battle. In 1854 the Tokugawa shogunate chose a white flag with a red disc to mark Japanese ships so they would be recognized by foreign vessels. After the fall of the shogunate, the new Meiji government confirmed it in two proclamations of 1870, one for merchant ships and one for the navy.

For about 130 years the Hinomaru was used as the national flag without a specific law. It became tied to the military expansion of Imperial Japan, and after 1945 it was a controversial symbol for many people, including in Japan, where some teachers and unions opposed its use in schools. The issue was settled in 1999, when the Act on National Flag and Anthem made the Hinomaru the official flag and Kimigayo the anthem. The law sets the proportions and describes the disc as crimson, but it does not define the exact shade. The flag was raised at the Olympic Games held in Tokyo in 1964 and again in 2021.

Japan flag vs the Rising Sun Flag

There are two flags that are often called Japan's flag, and they should not be confused. The national flag is the Hinomaru. The Rising Sun Flag (Kyokujitsu-ki) shows a red sun disc, shifted slightly toward the hoist, with 16 red rays spreading out across a white field. It was adopted as the war flag of the Imperial Japanese Army in 1870 and was later also used as the naval ensign. It went out of use in 1945. The 16-ray version was re-adopted in 1954 and is used by the Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Ground Self-Defense Force uses a version with eight rays.

In Japan, the design with rays is also common in folk culture, on fishing boats, on product labels and at sports events, where it is a celebratory symbol. In South Korea, China and other countries that were occupied by Imperial Japan, it is associated with that period, and its display at sporting events and during military visits has drawn protests.

Each of Japan's 47 prefectures also has its own flag, usually a simple symbol on a plain background. See other flags of Asia.