On July 17, Japan’s upper house passed legislation criminalizing the public desecration of the national flag, known as the Hinomaru, after the bill cleared the lower house on June 30. It therefore serves a different and broader purpose: protecting public respect for Japan’s flag. It did not receive full statutory recognition until 1999, when the Act on National Flag and Anthem was enacted. These differences do not resolve Japan’s debate, but they underscore the need to define prohibited conduct and safeguards for political expression clearly. Encouraging respect for the national flag is an understandable goal.