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| Use | Civil and state flag    |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | October 13, 1972 (1972-10-13) |
| Design | A white field charged in the center with three stacked circles. The two inner circles are positioned slightly upward; the outermost and innermost circles are red and the middle circle is white. |
| Designed by | Okinawa Prefectural Government (final emblem design) |
The flag of Okinawa Prefecture (Japanese: 沖縄県の旗, Hepburn: Okinawa-ken no hata) is a white field charged in the center with the prefectural emblem, which consists of three stacked circles, the two inner circles being positioned slightly upward. The outermost and innermost circles are red and the middle circle is white. The emblem was adopted on May 15, 1972, when the United States ended its administration of the Ryukyu Islands and returned the prefecture to Japan. The flag was adopted shortly after on October 13, 1972.
Design and symbolism
The flag's design, consisting of a white field charged in the center with red circles, is meant to echo that of the Hinomaru (日の丸), the national flag of Japan. The charge is the official emblem of Okinawa Prefecture.
The prefectural emblem consists of three circles stacked on top of each other, alternating between red and white. The inner two circles are positioned slightly upward. The outermost circle is red and represents the Pacific Ocean, which surrounds Okinawa Prefecture. The middle circle is white and represents the letter "O" in the rōmaji spelling of "Okinawa". It is also meant to symbolize a circle of people united together. The innermost circle is red and represents the prefecture's potential for development. The Okinawa Prefectural Government describes the emblem itself as "a symbol of the ocean, peace, and development."
History
The Empire of Japan transformed its vassal the Ryukyu Kingdom into the Ryukyu Domain in 1872 and annexed it outright in 1879, establishing Okinawa Prefecture. The de jure independent kingdom did not have a national flag.
During the U.S. military occupation and later civil administration of the Ryukyu Islands from 1945 to 1972, the U.S. flag was the only national flag permitted to fly in the prefecture.
After diplomatic meetings in 1969, the U.S. agreed to return the Ryukyu Islands to Japan within three years. Following the signing of the 1971 Okinawa Reversion Agreement, the Japanese government held a public, nationwide competition to design an emblem for Okinawa Prefecture. A total of 186 designs were submitted. On April 24, 1972, the Prefectural Emblem Selection Committee chose a design submitted by a man from Kyoto Prefecture and decided that the colour scheme would be blue, white, and red from the outermost to innermost circle. However, the committee soon discovered that the chosen design and colours resembled the mark of the All Japan Kendo Federation, and so the innermost circle was changed from red to blue on May 9. The emblem became official six days later on May 15, when the Ryukyu Islands were returned to Japan. The prefectural government announced on October 13 the adoption of the prefectural flag and the changing of the prefectural emblem's blue circles to red.
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Emblem of Okinawa Prefecture
(initial proposal, never adopted) -
Emblem of Okinawa Prefecture
(May 15 – October 13, 1972) -
Emblem of Okinawa Prefecture
(October 13, 1972 – present)
.svg)
.svg)
See also
References
- ^ 沖縄のシンボル [Symbols of Okinawa]. Okinawa Prefecture Official Website (in Japanese). Okinawa Prefectural Government. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- "The Establishment of the Ryukyu Domain". Ryukyu Cultural Archives. Okinawa Prefectural Museum. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- "An Overview of Okinawa's History". Visit Okinawa Japan: Official Okinawa Travel Guide. Okinawa Convention & Visitors Bureau. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- Kina, Daisaku (June 12, 2012). 幻の琉球王国旗 [The myth of the Ryukyu Kingdom flag]. Ryūkyū Shimpō (in Japanese). Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- 琉球刑法並びに訴訟手続法典（一九五五年） [Criminal code of the Ryukyus, 1955] (in Japanese). United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- "Memorandum From the President's Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon". Office of the Historian. Foreign Service Institute. March 12, 1969. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ^ Tonoe, Ikuka; Ittetsu, Mekari (May 20, 2022). 沖縄県のマーク、復帰の日は青かった 映像で判明した“衝撃の事実” なぜ今は赤に？ 深まる謎 [Okinawa's prefectural emblem was blue on the day of reversion; shocking facts revealed in video footage. Why is it red now? The mystery deepens]. Okinawa Times (in Japanese). Retrieved May 23, 2022.
- 沖縄県章の制定 [Establishment of the Emblem of Okinawa Prefecture] (in Japanese). Okinawa Prefectural Government. May 15, 1972. Archived from the original on January 25, 2010. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- 沖縄県章の制定 [Establishment of the Flag of Okinawa Prefecture] (in Japanese). Okinawa Prefectural Government. October 13, 1972. Archived from the original on May 18, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
 Okinawa Prefecture | ||
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| Naha (capital) | ||
| Core city | | |
| Cities | ||
| Districts | ||
| List of mergers in Okinawa Prefecture | ||