27 February - The current flag of Japan was first adopted in 1870

 

On 27 February 1870, The current flag of Japan was first adopted as the national flag for Japanese merchant ships.

The national flag of Japan is a rectangular white banner bearing a crimson-red circle at its center. This flag is officially called the Nisshōki (日章旗, 'flag of the sun'), but is more commonly known in Japan as the Hinomaru (日の丸, 'Ball of the sun'). It embodies the country's sobriquet: the Land of the Rising Sun.