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Japan Passes New Law Banning Flag Desecration in Nationalist Push
The New York Times • • world
Key Points:
- Japan’s Parliament has passed a law criminalizing the desecration of the national flag, with penalties including up to two years in prison or a fine of approximately $1,200.
- The legislation is a key initiative of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a conservative nationalist aiming to promote patriotism and shift Japan’s politics to the right.
- The law targets acts that cause “strong discomfort or disgust” by damaging, removing, or defacing the flag, aligning Japan with countries like France, Germany, Italy, and India that have similar flag protection laws.
- Takaichi has criticized the previous legal inconsistency where defacing foreign flags was illegal but damaging Japan’s own flag was not, emphasizing the need for national pride.
- The new law contrasts with the U.S. stance, where flag desecration is protected under the First Amendment, despite occasional political threats of prosecution.
