Official Colors
Design Breakdown
Japan's flag — the Nisshōki or Hinomaru (Circle of the Sun) — is one of the world's simplest and most recognisable designs: a crimson-red disc centred on a white field.
The disc represents the sun. The official crimson shade is a deep, slightly blue-tinged red (traditionally called beni), specified as Pantone 1795 C since the 1999 Law Concerning the National Flag and Anthem.
History & Symbolism
The sun has been a symbol of Japan since ancient times; early Japanese emperors were considered descendants of the sun goddess Amaterasu. The Hinomaru appears on samurai battle fans from the 12th century and was used by feudal clans for centuries.
The Daijō-kan proclamation of 1870 standardised the flag for merchant ships. Its use as the national flag was formalised by law in 1999, codifying the exact size of the disc (three-fifths of the flag's shorter side) and the official shade of red.