Efforts to repatriate Japanese flags of those who died in World War II

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This Thursday, the spotlight will be on a bittersweet memento of war. The USS Battleship Missouri Memorial and the Obon Society are holding a webinar called “Flags of Their Fathers.”

It will highlight the practice of Japanese families giving small national flags to their loved ones before being sent to war. They held hopes the soldiers would be kept safe from harm and return home.

Sadly, many perished. But some of the flags survived the battles. A handful were found here in Hawaiʻi and are in the process of being repatriated to families in Japan.

HPR talked to USS Battleship Missouri Memorial curatorial assistant Molly Hagan about the practice called Yosegaki Hinomaru, which was meant to bring good luck to the soldiers of the Japanese Imperial Army.

This interview aired on The Conversation on Oct. 22, 2024. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.