Aichi International Sports Center Judo Crowd Unfurls Rising Sun Flag
On October 3, 2026, during the judo mixed team gold medal match between Japan and Kazakhstan at the Aichi International Sports Center, spectators unfurled a large Rising Sun flag in the stands while event staff took no intervention steps, according to local reports. The incident followed a ten-day period during which the Nagoya Asian Games organizing committee shifted its venue display rules, having briefly banned and then permitted the imagery after an initial stadium confusion involving a Chinese Taipei supporter’s towel.
Staff Ban and Then Remove Taiwan Flag Notices
The sequence began on September 25 during a baseball game between Chinese Taipei and China at the Okazaki Central Park Baseball Stadium, where staff confiscated a towel bearing the word “Taiwan” under political propaganda rules. That seizure prompted venue workers to review prohibited items, leading to a trilingual notice posted on September 26 before a game between Japan and Chinese Taipei. The sign listed the Rising Sun flag and the flag of the Republic of China alongside each other as banned items. Less than 24 hours later, staff removed the notices, and on September 28, the organizing committee issued an apology stating that while flags of non-participating countries were banned, the Rising Sun flag was not on the prohibited list and staff had acted on a misunderstanding.
Organizers Fail to Enforce Flag Rules at Judo Final
During the October 3 judo final, the large flag appeared in the stands to support the host nation’s athletes, exceeding standard hand-held dimensions. Judo representatives at the venue asked organizers for intervention, but staff did not require spectators to lower the flag or leave the arena. By October 5, the organizing committee maintained its policy without updating the prohibited items list, while the Olympic Council of Asia did not issue a separate statement regarding the judo venue display, leaving prior tournament policies regarding political symbols unenforced on the ground.
