“One Piece” Manga Flag Used as Symbol of Resistance in Asia

Jakarta, Sept. 29 (Jiji Press)–A pirate flag from popular Japanese manga series “One Piece” has been used as a symbol of resistance by young people in many parts of Asia. One Piece’s Jolly Roger flag, including a yellow hat with a red band, has popped up in recent demonstrations in Indonesia, Nepal, East Timor and the Philippines. In July, a movement spread in Indonesia with participants holding up the flag as a sign of resistance against President Prabowo Subianto’s call to raise the national flag to mark the country’s 80th anniversary of independence on Aug. 17. The Indonesian government responded by warning of criminal punishments for actions that violate the honor of the national flag. The One Piece flag then appeared in massive protests that began on Aug. 25 driven by public anger over high housing allowances for lawmakers. Media outlets in and outside the Southeast Asian nation have reported the One Piece flag as a symbol of protest, saying that people identify with the One Piece protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, fighting against autocratic rulers. “The (flag) phenomenon that occurred in Indonesia and Nepal spread to young people in other countries who use social media to see what’s going on around the world on a daily basis,” said Ikuya Tokoro, professor at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, who researches the spread of Japanese pop culture to Southeast Asia. The One Piece pirate flag “functioned as a symbol to convey an easy-to-understand message transcending differences in situations,” he said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]