Amid escalating tensions between South Korea and Japan, South Korean government has called on Japan to ban any displaying of Rising Sun flag at Tokyo 2020 Olympics. This follows statement by Japan's Olympics organising committee that it sees no problem with flag. The committee said: "The Rising Sun flag is widely used in Japan and it is not considered to be political statement, so it is not viewed as prohibited item." A South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said: " Japanese know full well that their neighbours regard Rising Sun flag as symbol of Japan's militaristic and imperial past. Japan needs to be more humble about owning up to its historical legacy."
Relations between two east-Asian nations have taken downturn in past few months. They are currently embroiled in bitter trade war that has seen people in Korea burning Japanese products. Many South Koreans are shunning Japan as tourist destination, leading to Japanese carriers slashing number of flights to South Korea. Last month, Japan removed South Korea from its "white list" of trusted trade partners. This led to delays in exports of items like car parts and household electronics to South Korea. In retaliation, Koreans have been boycotting Japanese beer, clothing brands and other products. spat poses threat to global supply chain of semi-conductors.
