Flag of Manchukuo

What the flag looks like

A yellow field with a canton of four equal horizontal stripes, red, blue, white and black, in the upper hoist corner.

What it means

The yellow field represented the Manchus and the ruler; the stripes are usually said to stand for the Japanese (red), Han Chinese (blue), Mongols (white) and Koreans (black).

How to remember it

Manchukuo, the state Japan set up in northeast China, flew a yellow flag with four thin stripes of red, blue, white and black in the corner; the early Republic of China spread its five stripes across the whole flag.

Fun facts

• Its head of state was Puyi, the last Qing emperor, who was enthroned as Emperor of Manchukuo in 1934.
• Manchukuo was recognized by only a few countries and was dissolved in 1945, after the Soviet invasion of Manchuria and Japan's surrender.

Manchukuo at a glance

Existed

1932–1945

Flag used

1932–1945

Today

Northeast China

Capital

Hsinking

Region

1932–1945

Languages

Chinese, Japanese

Flag adopted

1932

Flags often confused with Manchukuo

• Republic of China (1912–1928): The early Republic of China and Manchukuo both use red, blue, white and black stripes. The Republic of China has five full-width stripes including yellow; Manchukuo is a yellow flag with four thin stripes only in the upper hoist corner.