The Korean internet and politicians from all the major Korean political parties have united to condemn reports that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe‘s administration approves of the “Rising Sun” flag. After the Sankei Shimbun, a conservative Japanese newspaper, reported statements from Abe’s administration that condoned the renewed use of the flag, a symbol of Japan’s militarist past, some netizens even lamented that the United States stopped at bombing only two Japanese cities and praised the Fukushima disaster. JapanCRUSH is reporting the Japanese online reaction to recent Korean outrage.
From Yonhap News:
Japanese Government Says Using Rising Sun Flag Is “No Problem”
The Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun reported on the 6th that the Shinzo Abe administration has stated that the use of Japan’s Rising Sun flag is “not a problem” and is formulating a plan to officially acknowledge the usage of it, despite it being viewed as a symbol of Japanese militarism in neighboring countries.
The Sankei reported that the Abe administration is preparing to express the ‘no problem’ stance.
According to the report, the Japanese government appears to be pushing for the use of the flag despite it being seen as a symbol of Japanese imperialism and invasion, oblivious to the criticism of its neighbors.
The Rising Sun flag depicts light rays spreading out from the sun on Hinomaru, Japan’s national flag. It was used as Imperial Japan’s military flag during World War II. The Japan Self-Defense Forces are currently using this flag.
The Rising Sun flag made an appearance at last month’s East Asian Football Cup, when one was seen in the Japanese fans’ cheering section. The organizing committee of the U-20 Women’s World Cup, held last August in Japan, prohibited the use of the Rising Sun flag in stadiums.
Korean banners and the Rising Sun flag displayed at the July 28 East Asian Cup final.
Comments from Nate:
dldl****:
The radiation problem must be really serious in Japan.
hsp2****:
I’m dumbfounded… Even over their neighbors’ opposition, they have no problem using this war criminal flag… It looks like the Abe administration really wants to bring back the spirit of militarism in Japan, tsk tsk. If you use the flag only in your own country, it will be okay… But if you bring it outside, be ready to get shot…
ung0****:
Will Europeans realize how serious this is? It is akin to Germany officially validating the use of the Nazi flag with the hakenkreuz [swastika].
dndn****:
It’s not the Rising Sun flag, it’s the war criminal flag!!!!!!!!!!
skyj****:
The journalist is calling it the Rising Sun flag? No, let’s call it what it is – the war criminal flag.
kims****:
Hey journalist, how many times should I tell you? It is not the Rising Sun flag. It is the war criminal flag. Why do you keep using the name that isn’t even used in Japan? [The name ‘Rising Sun Flag’ is used in Japan. The ‘Rising Sun Ascension Flag’ is the incorrect name that was used in Korean media.]
edwi****:
A country full of people like Ilbe users.
ndea****:
I would like to see them go to a friendly football match in Pyongyang and wave that Rising Sun flag… They will be kidnapped, detained, or shot as if it was an accident due to strong nationalism in North Korea. Their guts are something we can learn from.
cani****:
Independence activist Ahn Jung-geun said in the court these reasons for his assassination of Ito Hirobumi.
1. Assassinating the Korean Empress Myeongseong.
2. Dethroning the Emperor Gojong.
3. Forcing 14 unequal treaties on Korea.
4. Massacring innocent Koreans.
5. Usurping the authority of the Korean government by force.
6. Plundering Korean railroads, mines, forests, and rivers.
7. Forcing the use of Japanese banknotes.
8. Disbanding the Korean armed forces.
9. Obstructing the education of Koreans.
10. Banning Koreans from studying abroad.
11. Confiscating and burning Korean textbooks.
12. Spreading a rumor around the world that Koreans wanted Japanese protection.
13. Deceiving the Japanese Emperor by saying that the relationship between Korea and Japan has been peaceful when in truth it had been full of hostility and conflicts.
14. Breaking the peace of Asia.
15. Assassinating Emperor Komei.“I killed Ito Hirobumi because he disturbed the peace of the Orient and estranged the relationship between Korea and Japan. I hope that if Korea and Japan get friendlier and are ruled peacefully, they will be a model of cooperation all throughout the five continents. I did not kill Ito misunderstanding his intentions. Treat me as a prisoner of war, as a lieutenant general of a Korean resistance army, instead of a criminal.”
ksy9****:
It looks like blood is being sprayed from a monkey head.
tuks****:
Japan can’t call themselves the root of the sun. They can’t call for Datsu-A when Germany’s post-war reconciliation effort is considered. They can’t call for peace, freedom, truth, and justice when they have problems with history textbooks, territorial disputes with neighbors and right-wing shift. They should not be rearmed.
khid****:
It’s okay~! Japan is on its way to ruin~!! Fukushima was a divine punishment~!! Who thought Japan would sink like this.
rowj****:
When Japan was resisting with Kamikaze instead of surrendering in the Pacific War, I heard General McArthur had a plan to drop ten atomic bombs, deploy ground, air and naval forces all at once and attack fifty cities with chemical weapons, which would’ve annihilated Japan into a barren land. Their population would’ve decreased from 80 million to 20 million and the nation would’ve collapsed. But Japan surrendered as soon as an atomic bomb was dropped. I wish they had resisted a bit longer. The US should’ve put a complete end to Japan back then.
tuks****:
It is right that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a divine punishment. Japan caused the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War, and the Eulmi Incident where the Korean Queen was murdered. They took the sovereignty of Korea through the forced Eulsa Treaty. King Gojong and Sunjong were poisoned by them. They massacred innocent Koreans when the Great Kanto Earthquake happened. They drove out numerous people during the Pacific War and the Second Sino-Japanese War. The atomic bombing was a divine punishment indeed.
with****:
Please take down the picture for this article. It is very unpleasant to look at.
tuks****:
The Japanese flag symbolizes a monkey’s red ass. That war criminal flag resembles a monkey’s red anus spilling blood.
bgx1****:
“The war criminal flag is not a problem…” “The radiation is not a problem…” They are rotten in both mind and body. Those radioactive monkeys which have caused so much harm to others just need to disappear already.
poll****:
Is it because of the heat or the radiation? They’ve lost their mind, tsk.
powe****:
It seems they want to show to the world that Japan is a war criminal country~~~ We should not engage with that lowly group~~ Abe, what if your mom was raped~~~? Would you be calm? If you think about your mom and wife, are you not ashamed of your action? Lowly bastards~~~
ksjc****:
To some stupid folks: the war criminal flag is not just a military flag. It includes the far right-wing Japs’ militaristic ideology. That’s why far right-wing Japs go around waving that flag like mad. Think about it, stupid. If it was merely a military flag, why would the far right-wing groups who aren’t military personnel be obsessed with waving it?
