On June 30, 2026, the Chinese-language website of German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported that controversy has re-ignited between Japan and South Korea over supporters displaying the Rising Sun Flag in the World Cup soccer match between Japan and Tunisia.

The article reported that in the stands of the Japan vs. Tunisia match, held on June 21 as a group stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Japanese supporters were seen waving the Rising Sun Flag, which sparked strong backlash in neighboring South Korea, and that the controversy over the Rising Sun Flag, which has continued for over 10 years, has intensified again.

It also explained that when Japanese supporters display the Rising Sun Flag in the stands during a soccer match, South Korean media and private organizations habitually criticize it, regardless of the opposing country, and that this has become a familiar pattern of conflict in recent Japan-South Korea sports diplomacy. It mentioned that even before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the South Korean side had requested the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to prohibit the display of the Rising Sun Flag within Olympic venues.

It also reported that the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has previously imposed penalties regarding the Rising Sun Flag issue, recognizing the act of Kawasaki supporters displaying the Rising Sun Flag in the April 2017 AFC Champions League (ACL) match between Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Kawasaki Frontale as "discrimination and provocation against another country," and subsequently imposing a penalty on Kawasaki.

Regarding the Rising Sun Flag, the article explained that it did not appear for the first time during World War II, but has been used since the Meiji era as the regimental flag of the Imperial Japanese Army and the naval ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and after the war, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force have each inherited different versions as their unit flags. Furthermore, it pointed out that even before that, as a symbol of the rising sun, good fortune, and prosperity, it has been widely used in Japan for fishing, festivals, and annual events, and has long been incorporated into commercial and private designs.

The article introduced that the Rising Sun Flag began to be frequently discussed in South Korean society after the Japan-South Korea Asian Cup match in January 2011, when South Korea's Ki Sung-yueng, criticized by Japan for mimicking a monkey after scoring a goal, excused himself by saying "I felt angry after seeing the Rising Sun Flag in the stands," which was the trigger. It also conveyed the analysis of South Korean veteran political commentator Han Jeong-seok, who stated that discussions surrounding nationalism and security strategy over the past 20 years are related.

The article reported that Professor Seo Kyoung-duk of Sungshin Women's University in South Korea, who has long promoted the anti-Rising Sun Flag movement, stated, 'We Koreans have long known that the Rising Sun Flag was used as a flag for good catches and that it evokes the pain of World War II, but we never imagined that Japanese society would continue to use that flag in international arenas. That's why we began to openly criticize it in the international community and demand the cessation of the Rising Sun Flag's use.' He also revealed that he sent a letter to the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) for this tournament, requesting that supporters be prohibited from displaying the Rising Sun Flag in World Cup venues. (Edited and translated by Kawashiri)