The hinomaru was used as a template to design other Japanese flags, and its use was severely restricted during the early years of the American occupation after World War II, although these restrictions were later relaxed. Despite this, several military banners of Japan are based on the design of the hinomaru, including the sun-rayed Naval Ensign. The hinomaru was legally the national flag from 1870 to 1885, but Japanese law did not designate a national flag from 1885 to 1999 because with the modernization of the cabinet, all of the prior Council of States' declarations were abolished. During the Meiji Restoration, on Febru(January 27, 3rd year of Meiji in the Japanese calendar), the flag was officially adopted as the civil ensign by Proclamation No. 57. The hinomaru was widely used on military banners in the Sengoku period of the 15th and 16th centuries.

During deliberations in the Diet about this bill, there was a suggestion to either use a bright red (赤色 ( aka iro)) shade or choose from the color pool of the Japanese Industrial Standards. Specifications published by the Ministry of Defense in 2008 defined the shades of red for the flag. Further explanations from the government merely stated that the red color is a deep shade. The background of the flag is white, and the disc red, but the exact color shades were not defined in the 1999 law. However, the 1999 law allowed the continued use and manufacture of flags with the proportions set down in the Prime Minister's Proclamation No. 57 of 1870, which stipulated that the flag have a seven-to-ten (7:10) ratio, with the red disc off-center by one-hundredth of the flag's length toward the side of the hoist. The red disc is at the exact center of the flag and its diameter is three-fifths of the flag's height. The overall ratio of the flag is two-units length to three-units width (2:3). The drawing and construction details of the flag are given in the first appendix. If rules about the use of the flag and anthem had been included in the act, it would not have gained enough support in the Diet to pass. The law made no provisions for the use or treatment of either symbol, leading to different national and prefectural agencies and ministries creating their own regulations. Details about each symbol were provided in appendices, including specifications for the construction of the flag and sheet music for Kimigayo. The Act on National Flag and Anthem established the Nisshōki as the national flag and Kimigayo as the national anthem. Regulations and government orders issued in the wake of this law, especially those issued by the Tokyo Board of Education, were also challenged in court by some Japanese due to conflicts with the Japanese constitution. In the countries that Japan had occupied during World War II, some felt that the law's passage, along with debates on laws related to military affairs and Yasukuni Shrine, marked a shift in Japan toward the political right. Although some Japanese hailed the passage, others felt that it was a shift toward restoring nationalistic feelings and culture: It was passed in time for the anniversary of Emperor Akihito's enthronement. The passage of the law was met with mixed reactions. The debate surrounding the law also revealed a split in the leadership of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and the unity of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and coalition partners. Promulgated and enforced on August 13, 1999, it was considered one of the most controversial laws passed by the Diet in the 1990s. It was suggested that both the hinomaru and Kimigayo should be made official after a school principal in Hiroshima committed suicide over a dispute regarding the use of the flag and anthem in a school ceremony.Īfter a vote in both houses of the Diet, the law was passed on August 9, 1999. However, a law to establish the hinomaru and Kimigayo as official in 1974 failed in the Diet, due to the opposition of the Japan Teachers Union that insists they have a connection with Japanese militarism. The nisshōki ( 日章旗) flag, commonly referred to as the hinomaru ( 日の丸), had represented Japan unofficially since 1870 ' Kimigayo' ( 君が代) had been used as Japan's de facto anthem since 1880.Īfter Japan's defeat in World War II, there were suggestions to legislate the hinomaru and Kimigayo as the official symbols of Japan. Before its ratification on August 13, 1999, there was no official flag or anthem for Japan. The Act on National Flag and Anthem ( 国旗及び国歌に関する法律, Kokki Oyobi Kokka ni Kansuru Hōritsu), abbreviated as 国旗国歌法, is a law that formally established Japan's national flag and anthem. To ratify the national flag and anthem of Japan As published in the official gazette (August 13, 1999)

Flag and anthem