Japanese novelist. He translated Lady Murasaki, and was the author of Snow Country (1947) and A Thousand Cranes (1952). His novels are characterized by melancholy and loneliness. He was the first Japanese to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, in 1968.
It is said that berries were used to dye the flag. Red represents the blood shed in the past and the willingness to offer it again. White stands for right, truth, the honour of free citizens, and trustworthiness. Effective date: 27 February 1990.