Nagasaki
prefectureskatakanabluewhite
The flag of Nagasaki features a white mon emblem on a blue field. The emblem is a stylised katakana character ナ (na), the first syllable of Nagasaki, rendered as a star-like design with radiating points that suggest the prefecture's historical role as a beacon of international exchange. The blue background represents the East China Sea and the countless islands along the prefecture's coastline, the longest in Japan.
During Japan's 200 years of isolation, Nagasaki's Dejima was the only place where trade with Europeans was permitted, making it the sole conduit of Western knowledge into Japan.
Adopted: 1965
