Controversy continues to unfold after a notice board banning the "Blue Sky, White Sun, and a Wholly Red Earth" (the Taiwan flag) and the Rising Sun Flag was set up at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and then removed just a day later.

According to Japanese and Taiwanese media on the 28th, ahead of the baseball game between Taiwan and Japan on the 26th, a notice in Japanese, English, and Chinese prohibiting the entry of the Rising Sun Flag and the Taiwan flag was posted at the entrance of the Okazaki Central Park Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, only to be removed a day later.

The specific circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the notice remain unknown.

However, as the organizing committee of the event only posted an apology regarding its ban on the Rising Sun Flag—a symbol of Japanese militarism—fears of a growing controversy are emerging.

In an apology posted on its website this morning, the organizing committee stated, "We posted an inappropriate notice using the Rising Sun Flag as an example and stating that 'such flags cannot be brought in.'"

The organizing committee wrote, "While the event guides that displaying flags other than those of participating countries is prohibited, the Rising Sun Flag is naturally not a target for a ban on entry."

It added, "The notice was posted due to erroneous awareness in the field, and we deeply apologize for causing discomfort to spectators. We will thoroughly re-notify all stadiums regarding the handling of the Rising Sun Flag and do our best to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future."

While Taiwan's opposition party protested the ban on bringing in the Taiwan flag, the committee issued an apology solely concerning the ban on the Rising Sun Flag—to which right-wing forces in Japan are sensitive—without mentioning the Taiwan flag issue.

Lin De-fu, a Taiwanese lawmaker of the Kuomintang, claimed, "Listing the Rising Sun Flag, which is related to Japan's militaristic history, alongside the flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan) was an intentional 'insult' aimed at blocking Taiwanese fans from bringing in their national flag."

He criticized, "Although President Lai Ching-te has emphasized that the Republic of China is an independent, sovereign state and that relations with Japan are very good, the government has remained silent without saying anything even though the Taiwan flag received such treatment at the Asian Games, lowering national dignity."

Lawmaker Lin urged President Lai and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to state their position.

(Photo: Capture from the social media of Professor Seo Kyoung-duk of Sungshin Women's University, Yonhap News)