Japanese National Flag

[Justinkase]

Hello,

I have always wondered, and have never had a answer to why, that after the Allies won WWII, that all the Axis powers had thier National flags outlawed, or forced to be changed, that the Japanese where still and are able to have the Meatball flag as thier National flag? Even as a young boy in the 1970`s, visiting the Vets clubs, the Vets themselves could not explian and or understand why? I and others still find that flag as a reminder of the evils that the Japanese Empire brought upon the world. Still after all these years it has been allowed to fly for the Japanese Nation. What do you think?

Best Wishes,

Justinkase

[MJMartin]

I don't know exaclty, but some of the old symbols of Japan were allowed to remain in existance. These include the Emporer himself, as well as the flag. Germany's WWII flag was quite different than the German flag of WW I, so its change is justified. Wasn't the Italian flag basically the same, with just an Eagle removed? Has far as Hungry, Bulgaria, or Romania I am not sure either. I think those flags may have remained basically the same, but I could be worng.

[Dave Danner]

Hello,

I have always wondered, and have never had a answer to why, that after the Allies won WWII, that all the Axis powers had thier National flags outlawed, or forced to be changed, that the Japanese where still and are able to have the Meatball flag as thier National flag? Even as a young boy in the 1970`s, visiting the Vets clubs, the Vets themselves could not explian and or understand why? I and others still find that flag as a reminder of the evils that the Japanese Empire brought upon the world. Still after all these years it has been allowed to fly for the Japanese Nation. What do you think?

Best Wishes,

Justinkase

Tha Nazi standard was banned along with Nazi symbols. The post-war governments established un 1949 simply went back to the old flag - the "schwarz-rot-gold" was the national flag of the Weimar Republic. East Germany changed its flag in 1959 to add its communist-era coat of arms, but before that time it had the same flag as West Germany.

After Italy changed sides in 1943, it did not change its flag. It was not until 1946, when the monarchy was abolished, that the House of Savoy's royal coat of arms was removed from the flag. The basic green-white-red tricolore remained, though.

Hungary's red-white-green tricolor is the same. The royal coat of arms was removed from the state flag by the communists, of course.

Romania's blue-yellow-red tricolor was also unchanged, with only the addition of the Communist coat of arms in 1948.

Bulgaria's white-green-red tricolor was also unchanged. Again, in 1947 the Communist coat of arms was added.

As for Japan, the Hinomaru - the meatball flag - has been a Japanese national symbol for centuries, and was adopted as a merchant ship flag for Japan in 1870. It was not technically the official Japanese state flag until 1999 - before then, officially Japan had no state flag. The war ensign, the meatball with 16 rays, was adopted by the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1889. It was discontinued when the Imperial Navy was abolished in 1945, but was readopted on June 30, 1954 as the naval ensign of the Maritime Self Defense Forces. A similar flag with fewer rays was adopted for the Ground Self Defense Forces. However, I have seen JGSDF units using the naval ensign.

So basically, the only Axis national flag that was abolished was that of Germany, and that was only because of the Nazi symbol. Germany then returned to its pre-1933 flag. The other Axis states continued to use their pre-1945 flags after 1945, with some changes later, but in all these cases these were national symbols that predated the rise of their Axis governments.