Editing Flag of Japan (section)

===Subnational flags===
[[File:Japanese flags in Okinawa.jpg|thumb|alt=Three flags fly in the sky.|The national flag flying with the flags of [[Okinawa Prefecture]] and [[Urasoe, Okinawa|Urasoe City]]]]

Each of the [[Prefectures of Japan|47 prefectures]] of Japan has its [[Flags of Japanese prefectures|own flag]] which, like the national flag, consists of a symbol – called a {{transliteration|ja|[[mon (badge)|mon]]}} – charged upon a monocolored field (except for [[Ehime Prefecture]], where the background is bicolored).<ref>{{vcite web|url=http://www.pref.ehime.jp/shokai/sinboru.html |title=愛媛県のシンボル |trans_title=Symbols of Ehime Prefecture |access-date=3 January 2010 |date=2009 |publisher=Government of Ehime Prefecture |language=Japanese |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080109163141/http://www.pref.ehime.jp/shokai/sinboru.html |archive-date=9 January 2008 }}</ref> There are several prefecture flags, such as [[Hiroshima]]'s, that match their specifications to the national flag (2:3 ratio, {{transliteration|ja|mon}} placed in the center and is {{frac|3|5}} the length of the flag).<ref>{{Harvnb|広島県県章および県旗の制定}}</ref> Some of the {{transliteration|ja|mon}} display the name of the prefecture in [[Japanese writing system|Japanese characters]]; others are stylized depictions of the location or another special feature of the prefecture. An example of a prefectural flag is that of [[Nagano Prefecture|Nagano]], where the orange {{transliteration|ja|[[katakana]]}} character {{nihongo||ナ|na}} appears in the center of a white disc. One interpretation of the {{transliteration|ja|mon}} is that the {{transliteration|ja|na}} symbol represents a mountain and the white disc, a lake. The orange color represents the sun while the white color represents the snow of the region.<ref name="naganogov">{{vcite web |url=http://www.pref.nagano.jp/soumu/koho/kensho/top.htm |title=長野県の県章&nbsp;– 県旗 |trans_title=Flag and Emblem of Nagano Prefecture |publisher=Government of Nagano Prefecture |language=Japanese |year=2006 |access-date=2 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070918075217/http://www.pref.nagano.jp/soumu/koho/kensho/top.htm |archive-date=18 September 2007 |df= }}</ref>

[[Municipalities of Japan|Municipalities]] can also adopt flags of their own. The designs of the city flags are similar to the prefectural flags: a {{transliteration|ja|mon}} on a monocolored background. An example is the flag of [[Amakusa, Kumamoto|Amakusa]] in [[Kumamoto Prefecture]]: the city symbol is composed of the {{transliteration|ja|katakana}} character {{nihongo||ア|a}}✓and surrounded by waves.<ref>{{Harvnb|天草市章}}</ref> This symbol is centered on a white flag, with a ratio of 2:3.<ref name='amakusaflag'>{{Harvnb|天草市旗}}</ref> Both the city emblem and the flag were adopted in 2006.<ref name='amakusaflag' />