Japan's flag is white with a red circle in the middle. But until 1999 there was no official policy on what shade of red it should be. "No one had a clear answer," recalls Fukiura. "So I worked ...

However, for the two Koreas, China, Myanmar, Malaysia, and other Asian nations, it is a symbol of the war atrocities committed by Japanese forces in the past. That is why flying the flag at the ...