There is tension between South Korea and Japan. South Korea asked Japan to ban the Rising Sun flag at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Japan's Olympics committee said the flag is no problem. It said the flag, "is widely used in Japan and it is not considered to be a political statement, so it is not viewed as a prohibited item". South Korea said the flag is, "a symbol of Japan's militaristic and imperial past. Japan needs to…own up to its historical legacy".

Relations between the two nations turned bad recently. They are in a bitter trade war. Koreans are burning Japanese products and boycotting Japanese beer. They are avoiding Japan as a holiday destination. Japanese airlines had to cut many flights to Korea. Last month, Japan removed South Korea from its "white list" of trusted trade partners. This led to delays in the exports of many items. It also threatens the global supply of semi-conductors.