VANK has created and is distributing Digital Posters that request the fusion Japanese Franchise ‘sugoiJPN’ of London, United Kingdom, to stop using Rising Sun Flag logo.

Please put a stop to the use of the Rising Sun Flag logo by sugoiJPN!

“sugoiJPN”, a fusion Japanese Franchise restaurant in London, U.K., is doing business with a character wearing the Rising Sun Flag logo on the its head.

Korean residents in the U.K has requested for the change of the logo, but the CEO declined it and has been asserting as the following: “the Rising Sun Flag has been used for a long time in Japan”, “It is being used these days such as when we celebrate a birth of a child and when we cheer for a Japanese team on a sports event.”

Accordingly, VANK has created and is distributing Digital Posters to tell the citizens of United Kingdom about the reasons why the use of Rising Sun Flag is a problem.

On the poster, we parodied the character of ‘sugoiJPN’ with the Rising Sun Flag logo around its forehead into a character that wears a Hakenkreuz, a symbol of Nazi Germany.

And on the background, we present a photo that shows the Rising Sun Flag is the flag used when committing war crimes and was used during the war of aggression by Japanese Imperialist era.

We also introduce the following to the Britons who might never heard of the historical facts about the Rising Sun Flag.

 

“Dear fellow Britons

Would you allow the Nazi Hakenkreuz to be used?

For Asians, the Rising Sun Flag is also a symbol of Imperialism.

One day, if a German franchise announces “Hakenkreuz, the symbol of Nazi Germany has been widely used for a long time in Germany. It is a flag of German troops that has been admitted by the international society. It has also been widely used by the general public.”

How would Britons respond to that?

The Rising Sun Flag was designated as Japanese army flag in 1870, and as Japanese naval ensign in 1889. The Rising Sun Flag is a war-criminal flag that was used during the Japanese imperialistic war of aggression.

Japanese imperialism extended towards all parts of Asia-Pacific, and under this flag, numerous war crimes such as murder, torture, sexual slavery, rape, and exploitation were committed. More than 20 million Asians had lost their lives as a result.

For Asians, the Rising Sun Flag is the same symbol of war crime and imperialism as the Nazi Hakenkreuz.

Please put a stop to the use of the Rising Sun Flag logo by sugoiJPN right now!”

 

In the past, the use of the Rising Sun Flag was stopped when a similar incident occurred in the United Kingdom.

In 2013, a lunchbox company in Belfast, U.K., used the Rising Sun Flag as a logo, and a Korean student studying in U.K. who discovered it raised the question. Accordingly, the representative said, “I apologize for my ignorance,” immediately apologized and replaced the logo.

Also in December 2019, the world-famous British fashion school ‘London College of Fashion’ posted a photo on the official social media of a fashion show wearing a Rising Sun Flag costume.

When VANK raised the issue, the London College of Fashion said, “We sincerely apologize to the Koreans whose feelings have been hurt with the photos of our photo with Rising Sun Flag.” and deleted the post about Rising Sun Flag photo.

This college is one of the schools of UAL(University of the Arts London), and is renowned worldwide beyond the U.K.. In 2017, the school ranked 3rd in the ‘World Best Fashion Schools 25’ selected by the online fashion media ‘FASHIONISTA’.

VANK believes that it is necessary for the British people to work together to ban the use of the Rising Sun Flag logo of sugoiJPN, a fusion Japanese food franchise in London.

To this end, VANK launches a campaign to inform the United Kingdom and the world of the Rising Sun Flag with the sites and videos made by VANK with the posters made this time.

In the future, VANK will inform Koreans in U.K., British citizens, the Mayor of London, and the British government that the Rising Sun Flag is a flag of war crime, and will form public opinion to prevent ‘sugoiJPN’ from using the Rising Sun Flag logo in the U.K.. We will do our best and carry out various campaigns to make it possible.