japanese flag as tattoo?

I'm half japanese, but born and raised in denmark. I'm thinking about getting the "nippon sun" tattooed on my underarm, but I'm worried about how that would be looked upon when we are visiting japan. I'm aware that nationalism is a sore point in japan.

Thanks, Rebecca

Is it the current Japanese flag you are thinking of getting, or the old one with rays coming out of the sun? The older one has more issues with it as it can have extreme right-wing, militaristic associations.

be aware that having a tattoo may cause you to be discriminated by some people in Japan, regardless of the tattoo design.

It shouldn't be a major issue, though.

I'm thinking about getting the "nippon sun" tattooed on my underarm

The rising sun symbol is holy to the Japanese and having it tattooed on your underarm will probably be seen as disgusting.
It is your body after all and you are the one to decide what to do with it.

Rebecca,

It might depend on the design, but as a Japanese resident in Japan, all I can imagine is something similar to facepaint, which is not really offending. Whether it will look cool or not is a different issue, and you can't complain if you are banned from swimming pools or bath facilities or certain job employment.

http://www.google.co.jp/search?hl=ja&rls=com.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox&...

Tattoos are generally looked down upon in Japan. And a tattoo of something as culturally significant as the flag of a country that isn't your's might be seen as offensive by many Japanese locals.

While it is okay to have a national flag face paint at international sporting events, I personally don't feeling having a permanent thing on your body is cool. But it really is up to you.

Thank you for all the answers. My major consern is whether people may think I'm an extreme right-wing or neo-nazi. It is the current flag (without the rays), but only the red part I'm having in mind. I would really hate to make anyone feel hurt be getting that tattoo. It it meant as a sort of tribute to all the things I love about Japan and to show that I'm proud of haveing a japanese father.

I have a friend who has a koi tattoo in memory of his late father. Having a tattoo of something your dad loves might be an option.

You just want to tattoo a red circle under your arm? I don't think that in and of itself would necessarily be automatically recognized as the Japanese flag. If you ever want to visit a Japanese onsen, keep it on the discreet side whatever you decide. :)

I agree with the last poster. In fact, a simple circle will never be recognized as the national flag no matter how white you are.

So, if it is just a big red dot, I don't think it will be recognized as a flag, more likely it will jst be seen as some kind of skin deformity.