I am a black male, mid 30s.
Last Saturday, I was walking down the street in Tokyo, wearing a jacket with a [Japanese flag patch](https://imgur.com/a/YETIjmz) that I’ve attached to it. This was the second time I’d worn this – the first time, a dad and his kid commented on it positively while walking by, and later a young waitress in a restaurant also said something nice about it. To be honest I’m surprised that the flag that is so commonly seen here elicited any reactions from anyone at all, but in any case, that had been my entirely positive experience up to this point.
I’ve been stopped by police many times in Japan, so when one of the police officers ahead of me on the street came my way trying to get my attention, my first thought was great, here we go again. But he was clearly interested in the flag. I figured he just wanted to compliment it as the other people had done, and I removed my earphones. As he approached, two other officers came by and I was now surrounded. He wanted to know where I got it from. I said I’d bought it online, and he wanted me to show some sort of screenshot of where I’d bought it, or something. Baffled that the flag of the country was apparently getting me in trouble with the police, I said what, is it illegal? No, he said – but they were apparently on the look out for “right wing organisations” (右翼団体), and that the Korean embassy is nearby, and he wanted to confirm which direction I was heading. Absolutely flabbergasted, I responded that there was no way a black guy is going to be a member of a “right wing organisation” that terrorises Korean people, didn’t show him anything, and walked off in disbelief. The main officer followed me and showed me images on his phone of those right wing extremist vans parked with the Japanese flag on the side of them as we stopped at a traffic light. Words failed me and I simply shook my head and walked off. He stopped following me.
I was just in Seoul a couple of weeks ago – it’s one of my favourite places in the world, I spent half of last year there, I speak Korean and have a huge number of Korean friends and have been heavily involved with Korea for about 10 years. I am the absolute last person on Earth to try and hassle Korean people. And I really don’t know what kind of Japanese right wing extremist organisation has black members. But in any case, trying to draw a connection between the types of groups that want to stir up trouble and yell about comfort women and Takeshima and such in front of the Korean embassy and a guy who looks like a foreign tourist with a Japanese flag on his jacket has to be the reach of the century.
If I was loitering suspciously outside the embassy with the rising sun flag – which is indeed a controversial symbol – that would be different. But this was just something else. Like what was the goal here? What does showing where I bought it prove?
I love Japan – hence the flag – and this doesn’t change that. But… well I just don’t even know what to say.
by LouisOfTokyo