This is alist of Japanese flags, past and present. Historically, eachdaimyō had his own flag.(Seesashimono anduma-jirushi.)
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Since 13 August 1999 | Civil and state flag and ensign of Japan. | Flag ratio: 2:3. This flag was designated byProclamation No. 127, 1999. The sun-disc is perfectly centered and is a brighter shade of red. | |
| 27 February 1870 – 12 August 1999 | Civil and state flag and ensign of theEmpire of Japan, and the Japanese state. | Flag ratio: 7:10. Disc is shifted 1% towards the hoist (left). This flag was designated by Proclamation No. 57, 1870. |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Since 1869 | Imperial standard of theemperor of Japan | A gold 16 petal chrysanthemum centered on a red background | |
| Since 2019 | Imperial standard of theemperor emeritus | Similar to the standard of the emperor, but with a darker background | |
| Since 1926 | Imperial standard of theempress, theempress dowager, thegrand empress dowager and the empress emerita | Apennant of the standard of the emperor | |
| Imperial standard of theregent of Japan | Similar to the standard of the emperor, but with a whiteborder | ||
| Imperial standard of the heir imperial son and the imperial grandson who is an heir apparent | Similar to the standard of the emperor, but with a whiteorle | ||
| Imperial standard of the wife of the heir imperial son and the wife of the imperial grandson | A pennant of the standard of the heir imperial son | ||
| Since 2020 | Imperial standard of the crown prince if not the son of the emperor | A gold 16-petaled chrysanthemum centered on a white background with a red orle and border | |
| Since 1926 | Imperial standard of other members of theImperial House | Similar to the standard of the crown prince, but without the red orle |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1872–1887 | Ensign of Japan Post | Hinomaru with a red horizontal bar placed in the center of the flag. | |
| Since 1892 | Ensign of JapanCustoms | White represents land, blue represents sea, and the red disc represents the customs on a border. |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Since 1954 | Flag of theJapan Self-Defense Forces and theJapan Ground Self-Defense Force | A sun disc design with 8 red rays extending outward, and a gold border partially around the edge. | |
| 1889–1945 | Ensign of theImperial Japanese Navy | Sun disc with 16 rays on a white field, with the disc skewed to the hoist. | |
| Since 1945 | Ensign of theJapan Maritime Self-Defense Force | ||
| 1955–1957 | Former ensign of theJapan Air Self-Defense Force | Used from 1955 to 1957. | |
| 1957–1972 | Used from 1957 to 1972. | ||
| 1972–2001 | Used from 1972 to 2001. | ||
| Since 2001 | Ensign of theJapan Air Self-Defense Force | Current ensign, used since 2001. | |
| Since 1972 | Standard of theprime minister of Japan | Five cherry blossoms on a purple background. | |
| Naval standard of the prime minister of Japan | |||
| Standard of the minister of defense of Japan | Five cherry blossoms on a magenta background. | ||
| Naval standard of the minister of defense of Japan | |||
| Standard of the vice minister of defense of Japan | Four cherry blossoms on a magenta background. | ||
| Naval standard of the vice minister of defense of Japan | |||
| Standard of Chief of Staff, Joint Staff | |||
| Since 2025 | Standard of Commander, Japan Self-Defense Forces Joint Operations Command | ||
| Since 2024 | Standard of commander of joint unit | ||
| Standard of Chief of Staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force | |||
| Standard of Chief of Staff of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | |||
| Since 1982 | Standard of Chief of Staff of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force | ||
| Since 1965 | Standard of vice admiral of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | ||
| Standard of rear admiral of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | |||
| Standard of commodore of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | |||
| Standards of commander of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | |||
| Standard of senior captain of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | |||
| Since 1954 | Masthead pennant of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force | ||
| 1905–1945, Since 2011 | The "Z flag", unofficial naval ensign | Derived fromInternational maritime signal flag "Z" Made famous by its use to signal the opening of theBattle of Tsushima. | |
| 1999– | Standard of the army commander of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force | Established in March 1999. | |
| Standard of the divisional commander of the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force | Army commander's flag until March 1999. | ||
| Standard of the brigade commander of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force | The brigade commander's flag is the flag of the six brigades that were reorganized from the four divisions and two combined brigades, and newly established in March 1999. | ||
| The brigade commander's flag is the flag of other brigades. It was used as a flag for divisional commanders until March 1999. | |||
| Until 1999 | Standard of the former brigade commander of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force | It was used until March 1999. This flag was used not only major general but also when the colonel was the brigade commander. | |
| Since 1972 | Flag of infantry battalion of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force | ||
| 1982–2001 | Standard of lieutenant general of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force | Standard of the commander in chief of the air defense command of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force from 1982 until 2001. | |
| 1982–2001 | Standard of major general of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force | Standard of the air division commander of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force from 1982 until 2001. | |
| 1980– | Flag of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force reserve | ||
| 1870–1945 | War flag of theImperial Japanese Army | Centered sun disc with 16 rays on a white field. | |
| 1889–1945 | Standard of admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy | ||
| 1914–1945 | Standard of vice admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy | ||
| Standard of rear admiral of the Imperial Japanese Navy | |||
| Standard of commodore of the Imperial Japanese Navy | |||
| Standard of commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy | |||
| Standard of senior captain of the Imperial Japanese Navy | |||
| 1870–1945 | Standard of duty ship of the Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951– | Ensign of theJapan Coast Guard | The symbol represents a mariner'scompass. | |
| Standard of the minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism | |||
| Standard of the Japan Coast Guard commandant | |||
| Standard of the commander of Regional Coast Guard Headquarters | |||
| Flag of the commander |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13th–19th century | Military Flag of the warriors loyal to Japanese court. | A red field with a golden disc in the center and 3 fringes on the fly. In reality, it was hoisted vertically. | |
| 1429–1879 | Merchant Flag of the Ryukyu Kingdom. | A triangular yellow field with a red border and a red disc in the center. | |
| 1641–1858 | Dutch flag used inDejima | A horizontal tricolor of red, white and blue. | |
| 1603–1868 | Naval ensign of theTokugawa Shogunate.[1] | A bicolour flag consisting of three bands; white, black, and white. | |
| 1668–1869 | Flag used by the Satsuma army during theBoshin War | A horizontal bicolour of red and white. | |
| 1905–1910 | Flag of theResident General of Korea. | Ablue ensign with the Flag of Japan in the canton. | |
| 1945–1952 | Civil and naval ensign during theoccupation of Japan. | Derived fromInternational maritime signal flag "E". | |
| 1797[2]–1879 | Flag of theRyukyu Kingdom. | Features amitsudomoe, the symbol of the rulingSecond Shō dynasty. | |
| 1950 (Jan–Mar) | Proposed flag of Okinawa. | Called the Okinawan Flag (沖縄旗) or the Ryukyu Flag (琉球旗), proposed by theOkinawa Civil Government. TheUS administration stated they would decide the flag after the foundation of the unified government of the islands. However, the flag was forgotten ever since. Red, white, and blue represent peace, freedom, and enthusiasm, respectively. A star represents hope. | |
| 1952–1967 | Civil ensign during theoccupation of Okinawa. | Derived fromInternational maritime signal flag "D". | |
| 1967–1972 | Civil ensign of theGovernment of the Ryukyu Islands. | Ryukyus pennant above Japanese flag was used during U.S. occupation of Ryukyu Islands. |
Flags attributed to JapaneseDaimyo in theKaei period (1848-54).
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| (1996) 1994–[citation needed] | Flag ofMindan | Flag of Mindan, a pro-South organization ofZainichi Koreans. The pink flower surrounding thetaegeuk is ahibiscus syriacus, the national flower of South Korea. The formal name of the society (Zainihon Daikanminkoku Mindan) is written in kanji in white, and the abbreviation (Mindan) is written inhangul in yellow. The blue field of the flag stands for clear sky and sea. | |
| 1923–1945[citation needed] | Flag ofNational Levelers Association /Buraku Liberation League | Flag ofNational Levelers Association, aburakumin rights group, andBuraku Liberation League, NLA's succeeding group. Named theCrown of Thorns Flag (荊冠旗,Keikanki). Black represents a dark society with discriminations. Red represents blood. | |
| 1945–[citation needed] | Flag of Buraku Liberation League | The current Buraku Liberation League flag, with a white star representing hope. | |
| 1973–[citation needed] | Flag of Ainu |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1919– | Flag of safety | Named the Green Cross (緑十字,Midori-jūji). Designed by Toshifumi Gamō as the symbol of the governmental "safety week" campaign. The cross represents philanthropism in Western sense, and the place where good deeds gather in Oriental sense.JIS Z9103-1986 designates the symbol as the safety indication sign. | |
| 1953– | Flag of industrial health | Announced by the Labour Standards Bureau, the Ministry of Labor of Japan (the currentMinistry of Health, Labour and Welfare), over a public subscription. | |
| 1965– | Flag of safety and health | Designed by the Japan Industrial Safety & Health Association. These three flags are frequently flown on factories or construction sites. | |
| 1887– | Postal flag | The Postal symbol,〒, on a white field. |
Each modernprefecture has a unique flag, most often a bicolour geometric highly stylised design (mon), often incorporating the letters ofJapanese writing system and resembling company logos. A distinct feature of these flags is that they use a palette of colours not usually found in flags, includingorange,purple,aquamarine and brown.
Some prefectures also have alternative official flags called "symbol flags" (シンボル旗). They may be used on less formal occasions. Famous symbol flags include theone used in Tokyo.
| Flag | Prefecture | Geocode |
|---|---|---|
| Aichi | JP-23 | |
| Akita | JP-05 | |
| Aomori | JP-02 | |
| Chiba | JP-12 | |
| Ehime | JP-38 | |
| Fukui | JP-18 | |
| Fukuoka | JP-40 | |
| Fukushima | JP-07 | |
| Gifu | JP-21 | |
| Gunma | JP-10 | |
| Hiroshima | JP-34 | |
| Hokkaido | JP-01 | |
| Hyōgo | JP-28 | |
| Ibaraki | JP-08 | |
| Ishikawa | JP-17 | |
| Iwate | JP-03 | |
| Kagawa | JP-37 | |
| Kagoshima | JP-46 | |
| Kanagawa | JP-14 | |
| Karafuto | N/A | |
| Kōchi | JP-39 | |
| Kumamoto | JP-43 | |
| Kyoto | JP-26 | |
| Mie | JP-24 | |
| Miyagi | JP-04 | |
| Miyazaki | JP-45 | |
| Nagano | JP-20 | |
| Nagasaki | JP-42 | |
| Nara | JP-29 | |
| Niigata | JP-15 | |
| ŌitaŌita | JP-44 | |
| Okayama | JP-33 | |
| Okinawa | JP-47 | |
| Ōsaka | JP-27 | |
| Saga | JP-41 | |
| Saitama | JP-11 | |
| Shiga | JP-25 | |
| Shimane | JP-32 | |
| Shizuoka | JP-22 | |
| Tochigi | JP-09 | |
| Tokushima | JP-36 | |
| Tokyo | JP-13 | |
| Tottori | JP-31 | |
| Toyama | JP-16 | |
| Wakayama | JP-30 | |
| Yamagata | JP-06 | |
| Yamaguchi | JP-35 | |
| Yamanashi | JP-19 |
Mostmunicipalities have unique flags. Like prefectural flags, most of them are with a bicolour geometric highly stylized symbol, often incorporating Japanese characters.
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current | |||
| Since 2017 | Tomin First no Kai | ||
| Since 1995 | Ishin Seito Shimpu | ||
| Since 1982 | National Socialist Japanese Workers' Party | ||
| Since 1972 | Japanese Communist Party | ||
| Since 1970 | Kariyushi Club (Ryukyu Independence Movement) | ||
| Since 1955 | Liberal Democratic Party | ||
| 1923–1942 Since 1946 | Rikken Yoseikaija | ||
| Former | |||
| 2005–2013 | People's New Party | ||
| 1960–1994 | Democratic Socialist Party | ||
| 1945–1996 | Japan Socialist Party | ||
| 1936–1944 | Tōhōkai | ||
| Other | |||
| 1936 | The Righteous Army | The four characters reading "Revere the Emperor, Destroy the Traitors" (尊皇討奸) are placed in the corners of a standard Japanese flag. | |