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Quarantine Flags (Japan)

Last modified: 2023-06-03 by zachary harden
Keywords: japan | quarantine flags |
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[Quarantine flag 1954-]
image by Jaume Ollé, 17 June 2000


See also:

Current Quarantine flag

The current flag of Japanese quarantine is a yellow over blue bi-color flag and blue "Q" on upper hoist. The flag was adopted 16 June 1954. The yellow is an international color for quarantine and blue stands for sea and sky. "Q" is of course the initial for quarantine.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 15 April 2000


Animal Quarantine ship ensign

[Animal Quarantine ship ensign]
image by Kazutaka Nishiura, 18 June 2014

On Feb 5th 1955 Animal Quarantine ship ensign was adopted by Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry Notice No 93 and revised on Nov 2nd 1970 by Notice No 1600. The ensign proportion is 7: 9.
The blue, yellow, blue horizontal three stripes ensign has its English name in white on the top stripe.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 18 June 2014

According to Kazutaka Nishiura, the narrow vertical stripe is not a part of the flag design but its sleeve like Turkish flag. He draw the image to refer to the construction sheet faithfully.
Source: http://www.maff.go.jp/j/kokuji_tuti/kokuji/k0000489.html
Nozomi Kariyasu, 19 June 2014

[Animal Quarantine ship ensign]
image by Kazutaka Nishiura, 25 June 2014

On Feb 5th 1955 by Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry Notice No 93 the Animal Quarantine ship ensign was adopted. The ensign is blue, yellow, blue horizontal three stripes with kanji initial 動検= Animal Quarantine in red in the canton. The ensin was abolished on Nov 2nd 1970.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 25 June 2014


Quarantine flag 1948-1954

[Quarantine flag, 1948-1954]
image by Jaume Ollé, 17 June 2000

From April 1948 to June 16, 1954 and April 8, 1948: The white flag with yellow large "Q" was used but the white flag was hard to distinguish on the sea.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 15 April 2000


Quarantine flag 1921-1948

[Quarantine flag, 1921-1948]
image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 15 August 2014

Between August 1, 1921 and April 8, 1948: The blue over yellow (not yellow over blue) bi-color flag was used. The flag did not have a "Q".
Nozomi Kariyasu,
15 April 2000

Redrawn to get standard size and get rid of dithering. I've kept more or less to the yellow and blue shades used, assuming there was a reason for those shades. If so, we might want to give that reason/source. Otherwise, I could draw a version with standard blue and yellow instead.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 15 August 2014


Quarantine flag 1913

[Quarantine flag, 1921-1948]
image by Nozomi Kariyasu, 15 June 2014

In 1913 Japanese Flags chart shows a white quarantine flag with yellow border and a stylized kanji 検 Ken of Keneki = Quarantine in black.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 15 June 2014


Quarantine flag 1902-1921

[Quarantine flag, 1902-1921]
image by Kazutaka Nishiura, 13 April 2015

From April 1902 to August 1, 1921: As quarantine vessel flag, the Harbor master flag was used. The flag was a red "H", for harbor master on white background.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 15 April 2000

The flag was adopted on Jul 8th 1989 by Imperial Ordinance No 139 as harbour master flag and started to be used as quarantine ensign in 1902. According to the construction sheet from the legal document, the horizontal bar should be thinner.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 13 April 2015


Quarantine flag 1879-1902

[Quarantine flag, 1879-1902]
image by Jaume Ollé, 17 June 2000

Between July 1879 and April 1902: The plain yellow flag was used as the first quarantine flag in Japan.

Source: 'History of quarantine system in Japan' issued by Ministry of Public Welfare.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 15 April 2000