Seoul: Japan considers its flag of ‘Rising Sun’ a part of history, but some in Korea, China, and other Asian countries say that this flag is a reminder of Japanese atrocities during the war and they Compare it to the Nazi swastika. For this reason, there is the outrage over the flag of Japan in the Olympics and some neighboring countries of the host country have also demanded that it be banned during the Tokyo Olympics. In the year 2019, South Korea officially requested the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban this flag in the Tokyo Olympics.
South Korea said the flag was a reminder of the pain of Asians who had experienced the wartime military invasion of Japan, and that the swastika reminds Europeans of the nightmare of World War II. North Korea has accused Japan of trying to make war criminals a symbol of peace at the Olympics, which is disrespectful to them and the Asian people.
On Saturday, South Korea removed its banners from the Olympic Village after the IOC called them provocateurs. South Korea said it had been promised by the IOC that it would be banned from using the flag at other Olympic venues and stadiums. But South Korean media later reported that some activists were carrying it near the game village.
Media reports also stated that Japan’s organizing committee said the flag was not banned inside the Olympic Stadium. “You wouldn’t expect Tokyo Olympic hosts or Japanese players to use this rising sun flag because it’s not a national flag,” said Professor Les Eric Eisley from Ehwa University in Seoul.
