Late last week, a mob scene broke out in the Chinese online game The Fantasy of the Journey West. Hoards of angry players gathered around the area known as the "Jianye city government office." The reason? The office's background looked like Japan's hinomaru ("sun circle"). China and Japan have a tense relationship, due to past colonization and atrocities.

Three days earlier, a Beijing player noticed this Japanese market, and the news spread across the internet like wildfire. Almost 10,000 players gathered at the government office to vent. "Even although everything in the game is virtual, our feelings are still genuine," remarked one player. "This incident has seriously hurt our feelings. We find this unacceptable."

Players contacted customer service, demanding why this image had been placed in-game. The answer was "no comments." Rumors circulated that the online game's publisher had been snapped up.

The image, it seems, could actually be based on a Chinese painting, not Japanese imperialism. The title is "Sunrise in the East." It references "when the sun rises from the east, all is clear and bright." Ironically, the painting's purpose is to remind rulers to "always maintain a clear mind, never mistreat the people and never betray the nation." Those are words of wisdom. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Zonaeuropa] via Japan Probe