"A War-Criminal Flag Flies at the Judo Final" ... Outrage Over Blatant Rising Sun Flag Cheering at the Nagoya Asian Games [Nagoya AG]

[Financial News] The 2026 Asian Games, held under the banner of peace and harmony among Asians, have been embroiled in a late-stage historical controversy after the Rising Sun Flag, a symbol of Japanese militarism, appeared at the event.
According to judo officials on the 3rd, some Japanese spectators were seen unfurling Rising Sun Flags and cheering for their national team during the final of the mixed team judo event between Japan and Kazakhstan, held that day at Nagoya Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan. A judo official at the venue immediately asked the organizing committee to take action, but the committee reportedly showed no significant response, such as taking clear steps to stop it.
The Rising Sun Flag is an imperialist war-criminal flag that Japan prominently displayed when invading Asian countries, including during the Pacific War. For Asian countries such as South Korea and China, which experienced Japanese aggression and colonial rule, it is a symbol directly tied to historical trauma. At major international sporting events such as the Olympics, the World Cup and the Asian Games, the entry of related messages and symbols is generally strictly controlled to prevent political interference. Yet conflicts over the use of the Rising Sun Flag continue to recur at events held in Japan.
In particular, the organizing committee's blatant tacit approval of the Rising Sun Flag during these Games had already come under fire once.
On the 26th of last month, ahead of the Japan-Taiwan game at Okazaki Central Comprehensive Park Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, a multilingual notice stating that the Rising Sun Flag and the Flag of the Republic of China were prohibited from being brought into the stadium was posted at the entrance, only to be removed just a day later. After Japanese right-wing groups protested, the organizing committee officially apologized, saying, "The notice stating that the Rising Sun Flag was prohibited from being brought in resulted from an erroneous understanding at the site," and, "The Rising Sun Flag is, of course, not subject to a ban on bringing it in." The committee then reissued the relevant guidelines at all venues.
In effect, the organizing committee gave Rising Sun Flag cheering a free pass, and the flag appeared once again at the judo venue near the close of the Games, bringing the historical issues surrounding the Asian Games back to the surface. 

[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter