Present-day Perception
The flag is considered offensive in countries which were victims of Japanese aggression, specifically in China and the Koreas, where it is considered to be associated with Japanese militarism and imperialism. During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Japanese fans were warned not to fly the flag as it would cause offense and trouble with the Chinese. In Japan itself the flag is sometimes seen at sporting events and protests by extreme right-wing groups. The Rising Sun flag also appears on commercial product labels, such as on the cans of one variety of Asahi Breweries lager beer. The design is also incorporated into the flag of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun as well as banners called Tairyō-ki (大漁旗, Good Catch Flag?) flown by fishermen.
Read more about this topic: Rising Sun Flag
Famous quotes containing the words present-day and/or perception:
“The general feeling was, and for a long time remained, that one had several children in order to keep just a few. As late as the seventeenth century . . . people could not allow themselves to become too attached to something that was regarded as a probable loss. This is the reason for certain remarks which shock our present-day sensibility, such as Montaigne’s observation, “I have lost two or three children in their infancy, not without regret, but without great sorrow.””
—Philippe Ariés (20th century)
“The essence of greatness is the perception that virtue is enough.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)