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This is a list of Japanese flags, past and present. Historically, each daimyo had its own flag. (See sashimono and uma-jirushi.)
Contents |
National
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
August 13,1999– Present |
Civil and state flag and ensign. | Flag ratio: 2:3. This flag was designed by Proclamation No. 127,1999. The sun-disc is perfectly centered. |
 |
February 27,1870– August 12,1999 |
Civil and state flag and ensign of the Empire of Japan. | Flag ratio: 7:10. Disc is shifted 1% towards the hoist (left). This flag was designed by Proclamation No. 57, 1870. |
Imperial
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
1869– | Standard of the Emperor of Japan | 16 petal chrysanthemum, colored in gold, centered on a red background |
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1926– | Standard of the Regent | Similar to the Emperor's standard, but with a white border |
gou_Flag.svg) |
1926– | Standard of the Empress, the Empress Dowager, and the Grand Empress Dowager | A pennant of the Imperial Standard |
_Flag.svg) |
1926– | Standard of the Crown Prince and the Imperial Grandson | Similar to the Emperor's standard, but with a white orle |
hi_Flag.svg) |
1926– | Standard of the Crown Princess and the Wife of the Imperial Grandson | A pennant of the Standard of the Crown Prince and the Imperial Grandson |
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1926– | Standard of the Imperial Family | A gold 16-petaled chrysanthemum centered on a white background with a red border |
Governmental
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
1972– | Standard of the Prime Minister of Japan | Five cherry blossoms on a purple background |
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1972– | Naval standard of the Prime Minister of Japan | |
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1972– | Standard of the Minister of Defense of Japan | |
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1972– | Naval standard of the Minister of Defense of Japan | |
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1972– | Standard of the Vice Minister of Defense of Japan | |
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1972– | Naval standard of the Vice Minister of Defense of Japan | |
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1892– | Ensign of the Japan Customs | White represents land, blue represents sea, and the red disc represents the customs on a border. |
Military
- See also: Rising Sun Flag
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
1889–1945, 1954- | Ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | Sun disc with 16 rays on a white field |
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1870–1945 | War flag of the Imperial Japanese Army | Centered sun disc with 16 rays on a white field |
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1972– | Flag of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force | A sun disc design with 8 red rays extending outward, and a gold border partially around the edge |
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1972– | Ensign of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force | The first flag dates from 1955. The current ensign is the third one. |
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1951– | Ensign of the Japan Coast Guard | The symbol represents a mariner's compass. |
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1956– | Masthead pennant of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | Simplified naval ensign at the hoist, plain white fly. |
.svg) |
1965– | Standard of vice admiral of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | |
.svg) |
1965– | Standard of rear admiral of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | |
.svg) |
1965– | Standard of commodore of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | |
_(JMSDF).svg) _(JMSDF).svg) |
1965– | Standards of commander of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | |
.svg) |
1965– | Standard of senior captain of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | |
.gif) |
Flag of composite forces chief of staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force | ||
.gif) |
Flag of infantry group of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force | ||
.gif) |
Flag of air defense command of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force | ||
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1889–1945 | Standard of admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy | |
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1914–1945 | Standard of vice admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy | |
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1914–1945 | Standard of rear admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy | |
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1914–1945 | Standard of commodore of the Imperial Japanese Navy | |
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–1945 | Standard of commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy | |
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–1945 | Standard of senior captain of the Imperial Japanese Navy | |
.svg) |
–1945 | Standard of duty ship of the Imperial Japanese Navy | |
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1905–1945 | The "Z flag", unofficial naval ensign | Derived from International maritime signal flag "Z" |
Historical
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
1603–1868 | mon of Tokugawa shogunate | symbol of three leaf Aoi from mon of tokugawa clan |
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1868–1869 | Flag of the Republic of Ezo | |
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1869–1875 | Flag of the Ryūkyū Kingdom | |
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1875–1879 | Flag of the Ryūkyū Kingdom | Three tomoe represent beauty, humanity and tenderness. White represents purity. |
.svg) |
1905–1910 | Flag of the Resident General of Korea | A blue ensign with the Flag of Japan in the canton |
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1945–1952 | Civil and naval ensign during the occupation of Japan | Derived from International maritime signal flag "E" |
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1950 (Jan–Mar) | Proposed flag of Okinawa | Called the Okinawan Flag (沖縄旗?) or the Ryukyu Flag (琉球旗?), proposed by the Okinawa Civil Government. The US administration stated they would decide the flag after the foundation of the unified government of the islands. However, the flag was forgotten ever since. Red, white, and blue represent peace, freedom, and enthusiasm, respectively. A star represents hope. |
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1952–1967 | Civil ensign during the occupation of Okinawa | Derived from International maritime signal flag "D" |
Minorities
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
1973– | Unofficial flag of the Ainu people | Designed by Ainu artist Bikki Sunazawa. Cerulean blue stands for sky and sea, white for snow and red for an aconite arrow which is running in the snow beneath Hokkaidō's sky. |
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1946??– | Flag of Mindan | Flag of Mindan, a pro-South organization of Zainichi Koreans. The pink flower surrounding the taegeuk is a hibiscus syriacus, the national flower of South Korea. The formal name of the society (Zainihon Daikanminkoku Mindan) is written in kanji in white, and the abbreviation (Mindan) is written in hangul in yellow. The blue field of the flag stands for clear sky and sea. |
 |
1923–1945? | Flag of National Levelers Association / Buraku Liberation League | Flag of National Levelers Association, a burakumin rights group, and Buraku Liberation League, NLA's succeeding group. Named the Crown of Thorns Flag (荊冠旗 Keikanki?). Black represents a dark society with discriminations. Red represents blood. |
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1945?– | Flag of Buraku Liberation League | The current Buraku Liberation League flag, with a white star representing hope. |
Cultural
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
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1919– | Flag of safety | Named the Green Cross (緑十字 Midori-jūji?). Designed by Toshifumi Gamō as the symbol of the governmental "safety week" campaign. The cross represents philanthropism in Western sense, and the place where good deeds gather in Oriental sense. JIS Z9103-1986 designates the symbol as the safety indication sign. |
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1953– | Flag of industrial health | Announced by the Labour Standards Bureau, the Ministry of Labor of Japan (the current Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare), over a public subscription. |
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1965– | Flag of safety and health | Designed by the Japan Industrial Safety & Health Association. These three flags are frequently flown on factories or construction sites. |
Prefectural
Each modern prefecture has a unique flag, most often a bicolor geometric highly stylized design (mon), often incorporating the letters of Japanese writing system. A distinct feature of these flags is that they use a palette of colors not usually found in flags, including orange, purple, aquamarine and brown.
Some prefectures also have alternative official flags called "symbol flags" (シンボル旗?). They may be used on less formal occasions. Famous symbol flags include the one used in Tokyo.
| Flag | Prefecture | Geocode | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
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Aichi | JP-23 | Stylized hiragana of あいち (Aichi). The emblem also expresses sunrise and wave to indicate Aichi's location facing the Pacific Ocean. |
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Akita | JP-05 | Stylized katakana of ア (a), the first syllable of Akita. |
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Aomori | JP-02 | Stylized map of the prefecture. |
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Chiba | JP-12 | Stylized katakana of チバ (Chiba). Blue stands for hope and progress, yellow for prefecture flower rapeseed blossoms. |
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Ehime | JP-38 | Yellow stands for happiness, green for peace and white for simplicity and purity. The mon represents orange, the prefectural flower. |
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Fukui | JP-18 | Stylized katakana of フクイ (Fukui). The emblem stands for harmony and cooperation of people. |
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Fukuoka | JP-40 | Stylized hiragana of ふく (fuku). It also represents ume (plum), the prefectural flower. |
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Fukushima | JP-07 | Stylized hiragana of ふ (fu). |
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Gifu | JP-21 | Stylized kanji 岐 (gi). The emblem expresses peace and harmony. The green stands for the nature of Gifu. |
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Gunma | JP-10 | Stylized kanji 群 (gun) and three crescents which stand for three mountains Mount Akagi, Mount Haruna and Mount Myōgi. Purple was selected as refined colour suitable to Gunma's cultural inheritance. |
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Hiroshima | JP-34 | Stylized katakana of ヒ (hi). |
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Hokkaidō | JP-01 | A 7-point star standing for hope and development. Blue represents sea and sky of Hokkaidō, red stands for people's energy and white for light and snow. |
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Hyōgo | JP-28 | Stylized kanji of 兵 (hyō). It also represents the stylized map of the prefecture, facing the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan. |
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Ibaraki | JP-08 | The prefectural flower rose on blue field. Blue stands for the Pacific Ocean and Mount Tsukuba. |
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Ishikawa | JP-17 | The mon is a stylized form of its name in kanji, 石川 (Ishikawa). It also represents the stylized map of the prefecture. |
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Iwate | JP-03 | Stylized kanji of 岩 (iwa) which symbolizes advanced progress. |
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Kagawa | JP-37 | Stylized and slightly rotated katakana of カ (ka). It also represents mountains, as well as olive leaves, the prefectural tree. |
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Kagoshima | JP-46 | Stylized map of the prefecture, with Sakurajima in the center. |
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Karafuto | JP-?? | Stylized kanji of 太 (futo) in the form of three birch 樺 (kaba) leaves and fruit, making the rebus of 樺太 (Karafuto). Used from 1911 - 1945. |
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Kanagawa | JP-14 | Stylized kanji of 神 (ka). The Japanese national colours were chosen due to the Yokohama sea port, long used as a primary gateway into Japan, being located within the prefecture. |
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Kōchi | JP-39 | Stylized hiragana of とさ (Tosa), the name of the former province. The mon also incorporates 90 degrees rotated katakana of コ (ko). |
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Kumamoto | JP-43 | Stylized katakana of ク (ku). It also represents the stylized map of Kyūshū. |
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Kyoto | JP-26 | Stylized kanji of 京 (kyō). |
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Mie | JP-24 | Stylized hiragana of み (mi). The circle also represents pearls aquafarmed in the prefecture. |
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Miyagi | JP-04 | Stylized hiragana of み (mi). It also represents miyaginohagi (lespedeza), the prefectural flower. |
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Miyazaki | JP-45 | Stylized katakana of ミ (mi). |
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Nagano | JP-20 | Orange flag with white mon symbol closer to the hoist. The mon is a stylized katakana of ナ (na). It also represents mountains mirrored on a lake. |
 .png) |
Nagasaki | JP-42 | Stylized form of the letter N. It also represents pigeon, the symbol of peace. There are two versions, one with the prefectural name in kanji, another without it. Both are official. |
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Nara | JP-29 | Stylized katakana of ナ (na). |
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Niigata | JP-15 | The top is a stylized kanji 新 (nii) of Niigata, while the symbol on the left half of the circle is a stylized katakana for ガ (ga) and the one on the right, タ (ta). |
 .png) |
Ōita | JP-44 | Three stylized kanji of 大 (ō). Each kanji also represents a flying bird, and the whole symbol represents the sun. There are two versions, one with the prefectural name in kanji, another without it. Both are official. |
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Okayama | JP-33 | Stylized kanji of 岡 (oka). The simplified version uses the white symbol instead of gold. |
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Okinawa | JP-47 | White letter O within a red disc on a white field. |
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Osaka | JP-27 | The blue stands for cleanness, freshness and intelligence and also represents the sky and sea due to Osaka city having an airport and seaport. The blue also represents Osaka's nickname water city, due to having many rivers and facing two seas. The mon represents calabash, the symbol of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Circles also mean the letter O. |
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Saga | JP-41 | The mon is Japanese cinnamon, the prefectural flower. |
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Saitama | JP-11 | Sixteen magatama (ornamental beads) representing the sun as well as development and strength. Magatama were found in Sakitama Kofun (ancient tombs), Gyōda, which is the origin of the name of the prefecture. White stands for purity and friendship. |
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Shiga | JP-25 | Stylized katakana of シガ (Shiga). The circle in the center represents Lake Biwa. |
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Shimane | JP-32 | Four stylized katakana of マ (ma). In Japanese, "four" is shi. |
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Shizuoka | JP-22 | Stylized map of the prefecture and Mount Fuji. Blue stands for the sky and the Pacific Ocean and orange for sun light, passion and unity of people. |
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Tochigi | JP-09 | Stylized kanji of 栃 (tochi) and kanji 木 (gi) with three arrows. The flag represents improvement and active motion. |
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Tokushima | JP-36 | Stylized hiragana of とく (toku). It also represents a flying bird. |
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Tokyo | JP-13 | The sun represents the developing capital city Tokyo. This is the official "metropolitan flag", used on formal occasions. See Insignias of Tokyo for details. |
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Tokyo | JP-13 | Stylized letter T. This is the official "symbol flag", used more frequently than the flag (crest) above. See Insignias of Tokyo for details. |
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Tottori | JP-31 | The symbol is meant to represent the hiragana と (to) and a bird (tori) to form a rebus of Tottori. |
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Toyama | JP-16 | The symbol is meant to represent the hiragana と (to) and two mountains (yama) to form a rebus of Toyama. It also represents Mount Tateyama. |
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Wakayama | JP-30 | Stylized katakana of ワ (wa). |
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Yamagata | JP-06 | Three mountains (yama). The form also represents the stream of the Mogami River running through Yamagata. Blue stands for desire for peace and ideal, white for snow and purity of people. |
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Yamaguchi | JP-35 | Stylized kanji of 山口 (Yamaguchi). The emblem represents a bird flying towards the sun and stands for cooperation and progress of people. |
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Yamanashi | JP-19 | Stylized kanji of 山 (yama) in the center of Mount Fuji. Purple represents the grape, a popular product of Yamanashi. |
Municipal
Most municipalities have unique flags. Like prefectural flags, most of them are with a bicolor geometric highly stylized symbol, often incorporating Japanese characters.
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