Japan
Authority: Act on National Flag and Anthem, 13 August 1999
The Nisshoki ("sun-mark flag"), popularly called the Hinomaru, has an official 2:3 aspect ratio: a crimson disc centered on a white field. It was formally codified by the Act on National Flag and Anthem, enacted 13 August 1999, standardizing a design that had earlier legal roots in 1870 naval and merchant-flag proclamations.
| Parameter / Specification | Standard Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Width to Length Ratio | 2 : 3 | - |
| Governing Law | Act on National Flag and Anthem | - |
| Law Enacted | 13 August 1999 | - |
History & Origin
The sun disc design predates Japan's modern legal framework by centuries as a traditional symbol, but its status as a specified national flag design began with two 1870 government proclamations: Proclamation No. 57 (27 February 1870) set a 7:10 ratio for the flag as used on merchant ships, while Proclamation No. 651 (3 October 1870) specified a 2:3 ratio for naval use. For over a century afterward, Japan had no single statute formally establishing a national flag for all purposes.
That changed with the Act on National Flag and Anthem, enacted 13 August 1999, which for the first time gave the Hinomaru explicit legal status as Japan's national flag and standardized its proportions at 2:3 across all official uses. The law also fixed the red disc's diameter as three-fifths of the flag's width, positioned so it appears visually centered when the flag is flying rather than mathematically centered on the still cloth.