Lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties adopted a resolution on Wednesday calling for the prohibition of the flag Japan used during World War II from football matches with South Korea.
Rep. An Min-suk of the main opposition Democratic United Party said in a news conference that 68 lawmakers signed off on the resolution that calls on the South Korean government to petition the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and FIFA, the global governing body for football, to permanently ban the flag from being waved at the stadium, and to forbid uniforms that depict the symbol of Japan's militaristic past from being worn by Japanese athletes.
Japan's football association has said it will allow fans to carry the rising sun flag at the under-20 women's World Cup quarterfinals between South Korea and Japan set for Thursday in Tokyo.
The lawmaker stressed that the IOC and FIFA already ban the use of Germany's hakenkreuz or swastika so they should take similar measures against the rising sun flag.
"The flag is the symbol of Japan's imperialistic past that caused untold suffering across Asia during World War II," the lawmaker said. (Yonhap News)
