Newcastle United have apologised and edited their third kit launch video after it featured a flag resembling Japan’s controversial Rising Sun emblem.
The Premier League club removed the scene within hours of releasing the promotional video featuring Newcastle fan and singer Sam Fender on Tuesday.
Two fans were shown holding a black and white flag displaying “NUFC Japan” with the club crest in a design similar to the Rising Sun flag.
The flag was used by Imperial Japanese forces during World War Two and remains deeply controversial in several Asian countries.
We have been alerted to the appearance of a flag in our recent third kit launch video that could inadvertently cause offence,” a Newcastle statement read.
In response, we immediately removed the video from circulation and have taken steps to edit the visual from all future content.
“We sincerely apologise for any offence caused.”
The Rising Sun flag features a red disc with 16 red rays extending outward from the centre.
While the flag has been used in Japan for centuries and continues to appear in Japanese society, its association with wartime atrocities makes it inflammatory.
South Korea has stated the flag represents Japan’s “militaristic and imperial past.”
China, North Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Russia similarly associate it with Japanese aggression during World War Two.
The Korean peninsula was occupied by Japan from 1910 to 1945, with Japanese armed forces accused of committing atrocities during this period.
South Korea previously campaigned to have the flag banned from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Organisers rejected the request, stating it was “not considered to be a political statement.
The flag is banned by FIFA, with Japan sanctioned by the Asian Football Confederation after fans displayed it at an AFC Champions League match in 2017.
An Min-suk, chair of South Korea’s parliamentary committee for sports, has compared it to the Nazi swastika.
“The Rising Sun flag is akin to a symbol of the devil to Asians and Koreans,” he said.
Political scientist Kan Kimura noted that in 2012, Koreans in New York formed “The Citizens Against War Criminal Symbolism” to campaign against the flag.
Professor Koichi Nakano of Sophia University said “no-one in Japan uses the rising sun flag for any purpose other than romanticizing” wartime abuses.
He suggested the American Confederate flag would be a better comparison than the Nazi flag.
The timing of Newcastle’s blunder is particularly sensitive as the club prepares for an Asian pre-season tour.
Eddie Howe’s side will play Arsenal at Singapore’s National Stadium on July 27.
The Magpies then face an All-Star K League team on July 30 before meeting Tottenham on August 3 in South Korea.
Newcastle swiftly released an edited version of the video with the controversial scene removed.
“The reaction to our new third kit with adidas has been special, but the launch video contained a scene that could inadvertently cause offence,” the club added.
“We’ve removed the scene from the film to make sure that as many fans as possible can enjoy it.”
The offensive flag was reportedly brought along by a fan for the video shoot and was not supplied by the club.
Newcastle’s new blue and orange third kit pays homage to their 1997-98 away strip.
The launch video featured current star Alexander Isak alongside club legend Tino Asprilla and other former players.
Peter Silverstone, Newcastle’s Chief Commercial Officer, had described the kit as “a powerful blend of past and present.
The club will donate £5 from every adult shirt sold before August 31 to the Newcastle United Foundation.
Japan continues to use variations of the Rising Sun flag for its Self-Defense Forces, causing ongoing diplomatic tensions.
The controversy highlights the sensitivity around historical symbols in international sporting contexts.
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