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A Rising Sun Flag on a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) warship (Reuters)
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Japanese defense minister says flying Rising Sun Flag is required by Japanese law
The Japanese government signaled its plans to refuse the South Korean Navy’s request to refrain from raising the Rising Sun Flag on Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) warships during a “Republic of Korea Navy international naval review” on Jeju Island from Oct. 10 to 14. The matter is stirring controversy between the two sides, with many in South Korea arguing that the flag should not be flown in territorial waters. In a recent notice sent to Japan and 14 other countries taking part in the naval review, the Navy requested that they only fly their own national flag and the South Korean flag on participating vessels. In effect, it was a request for Japan not to raise the Rising Sun Flag, which the JMSDF uses as a naval ensign. Speaking at a Sept. 28 press conference, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera effectively rebuffed the request. “The flying of our naval ensign [the Rising Sun Flag] is mandated by [Japanese] domestic law, and [the flag] also constitutes an external indicator of the nationality of our forces’ vessels according to the Convention on the Law of the Sea,” he stressed. “It is natural that we should fly it,” he added. Controversy surrounding Rising Sun Flag Used by the Japanese military during the Second World War, the Rising Sun Flag is viewed by many in South Korea and China as a symbol of aggression. But Onodera argued that its “design is widely used in Japan.” The Asahi Shimbun quoted an anonymous Ministry of Defense official as calling the response to the request to refrain from flying it “an insensible demand.” “If lowering [the Rising Sun Flag] is a precondition, then we will not take part in the naval review,” the official was quoted as saying. At the time of its 1954 launch, the JMSDF adopted as its naval ensign the Rising Sun Flag used by the Japanese navy in the past. The design is also used as one of the flags for the current Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, albeit with slight differences. Potential complications if Moon attends review In South Korea, the Japan Self-Defense Forces’ use of the Rising Sun Flag during a July parade in Paris for the anniversary of the French Revolution also drew condemnation. South Koreans appear even less likely to accept the flag flying in their own territorial waters. If South Korean President Moon Jae-in attends the naval review, the result could be the unpleasant spectacle of a South Korean President reviewing Japanese warships flying the Rising Sun Flag. This factor was reportedly considered by the South Korean Navy in its request that the Japanese government use only its official flag during the naval review. “On Aug. 31, we communicated various requests for cooperation to all countries taking part in the naval review, and one of them was a notification that the rule is to fly [only] their national flag the South Korean flag during the review,” a Navy official said. The official explained that while the Rising Sun Flag was a consideration in the request, the display of the national flag and the flag of the host country on the mast is an international custom for naval reviews. But sources reported Japan as disputing the claim, citing past examples of the Rising Sun Flag being displayed during other naval reviews. “We made the request because of sentiments among the South Korean public. My understanding is that there was also a request through diplomatic channels to refrain from displaying the Rising Sun Flag,” a Navy official said. By Cho Ki-won, Tokyo correspondent, and Park Byong-su, senior staff writer Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
