Why are Japan and Bangladesh flags similar?

Japan and Bangladesh flag

• The flags of Japan and Bangladesh are similar in design, although the colors are different. Only three flags in the world include a circle in their design. They are the flags of Japan, Palau, and Bangladesh.
• The red circles of both the Japanese and Bangladeshi flags represent the sun.
• Japan’s circle is placed in the center, while Bangladesh’s circle is placed to the left.
• Japan’s flag has a red sun on a white background, while Bangladesh’s flag has a red circle on a green background.
• The ratio of length to width is 2:3 for Japan and 3:5 for Bangladesh.

So, why do the flags of Japan and Bangladesh look alike?

The current flag of Bangladesh is green with a red circle. The national flag of Bangladesh was adopted on January 17, 1972.

It is no coincidence that it resembles the Japanese flag.

The President of Bangladesh at that time, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was impressed by the development of Japan from an agricultural country to an industrial one. He wanted Bangladesh to be like Japan and so he adopted the design of the Japanese flag. Bangladesh is known as a pro-Japanese country, and this sentiment can be seen in the flag.

Former president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman asked for the opinion of Tadamasa Fukuura, a Japanese university professor who was in Bangladesh at the time and who was well-versed in flags from around the world. Fukuura was in Bangladesh during the Bangladesh War of Independence, working for the International Red Cross. The daughter of former President Rahman also testified that the president had based the design of the Bangladeshi flag on the design of the Japanese flag.

The prototype of the flag was designed in 1971 by an artist named Kamrul Hasan during the Bangladesh War of Independence, which triggered the country’s independence.

The flag with the motif of the sun

The flag with the sun motif was also meant to oppose the “crescent moon and star” of West Pakistan, which was at loggerheads with Bangladesh. The flag at that time had a map of Bangladesh in gold on a red circle. Due to difficulties in maintaining the correct map when the flag was flipped, etc., it was removed at the time of its establishment.

The sun on the flag is slightly to the left

The sun is slightly to the left so that it appears to be centered when the flag is fluttering.