Nagoya Asian Games bans rising sun flag — 'a meaningful precedent,' professor says

A sign posted at a 2026 Nagoya Asian Games venue banning Japan's rising sun flag has drawn widespread attention.

Sungshin Women's University Professor Seo Kyoung-duk shared a photo on his Facebook page Monday showing the sign, which depicted the rising sun flag alongside Taiwan's national flag — known as the Blue Sky, White Sun and a Wholly Red Earth flag — with a notice prohibiting both from being brought inside the stadium.

Citing Taiwanese media reports, Seo said the official sign was posted at the entrance of the baseball venue on Saturday, the day Taiwan and Japan faced off in a game there.

However, the sign was taken down within a day of being put up. The exact reason for its removal has not been confirmed, Seo said.

"Even though it disappeared after just one day, the fact that an official sign installed by the Asian Games organizing committee explicitly stated 'no rising sun flag' carries great significance," Seo said.

He added that controversy over Japanese fans displaying the rising sun flag has recurred at major international sporting events — including the Tokyo Olympics and, more recently, the North and Central America World Cup — and argued that the sign could serve as a valuable precedent for banning the flag at future international competitions.

The rising sun flag was used as a military banner during Japan's imperial era and has long been criticized by South Korea and other Asian nations that suffered under Japanese imperialism as a symbol of militarism and colonial aggression.