Japanese flag is called Nisshoki, and this flag has long history. It is white and has a red circle which represents the sun. It was important for our religion long time ago; in addition, Shotoku Taishi, who was a sun of the Emperor, stated Japan was the country of sunrise. In general, the color of the sun was yellow or gold. However, it was red for Japanese. This idea was not original, and they said that it came from China in the Heian period. White and red are our traditional colors. White means holy and innocence, and red means humanity and vitality. This flag was put up as a bringer of good luck in the Edo period. On February 27, 1870, it was qualified as a national flag, so the association of the flag provided that Japanese people put up the flag on this day. In 1945, GHQ prohibited Japan from using it, so we just used another one during that time. The freedom of display was permitted in 1949. After the Second World War, there were people who argued if Nisshoki was worthy to be the national flag of Japan. On the other hand, the other people argued that it was stated Nisshoki was the national flag of Japan in the law. In the late 1990’s, many problems related to display of Nisshoki occurred at school ceremonies. Unfortunately, a principal committed suicide because of this problem. In fact, there were many opponents of Nisshoki and the national anthem. To solve this problem, the law of them was promulgated in 1999. Nisshoki formally became the national flag of Japan. I could learn about Japanese flag through this assignment.
