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Description
The history of national flags is a relatively new one, but even newer is the idea of flags for individual provinces, states, and prefectures. Examples exist such as Scotland and England et. al. in the United Kingdom or the flags of the sub-national monarchies of pre-WWI Germany, but in terms of things such as the states of California or in this case the prefectures of Japan, individual flags of sub-national subdivisions are a far newer concept. In California for instance the first state to adopt a state flag was San Francisco in 1907, and even then it took some time to gain traction until the very last state to adopt a flag was Klamath in 1931. Japan, meanwhile, had no prefectural flags until 1951. Before that time the only flags were the flags of government ministries, the royal family, or the national flag of Japan itself.

In 1951, the very first prefectural flag to be adopted was done so by the prefecture of Hokkaido. In the context of Japan, Hokkaido was a very distinct prefecture: it was very rural, very un-urbanized, and host to a distinctive local history that was at least partially characterized by the indigenous Ainu people, the native people of Hokkaido who had long faced a history of cultural repression by the Japanese. By 1951 however, 4 years after the Californian occupation had begun, concerted efforts to both raise the profile of the Ainu and develop the island after a long period of relative neglect by the central Japanese government had led to the development of a local "Hokkaidan" identity that was still bound up in the idea of Japan and being Japanese, but with a distinctive local identity that made it separate from other prefectures such as Aomori or Ishikari.

As part of it, the growing local identity led to the proposed creation of a flag to represent Hokkaido. Not long before, a young Ainu boy had created a flag which he hoped would represent the Ainu people, much as other groups often had flags to represent themselves as well. This flag would later partially inspire a series of designs for the flag of Hokkaido, which came down to a singular design that proved highly popular. Said flag prominently featured a design which centered a seven-pointed star, which many said was taken directly from the logo of the Hokkaido Redevelopment Administration that had done a great deal to rebuild and invest in the island. In 1951, at the urging of the occupational authority, the government of Hokkaido took this flag design and introduced it alongside the proposed Ainu flag as a two-part piece of legislation, adopting the former as the Prefectural Flag and the latter as the "Ainu Indigenous Flag". By a margin of two votes, it passed.

The actual process of allowing there to be a prefectural flag to begin with was something of a hassle when it came to the desires of the Imperial Government, but after enough time had passed the government of Hokkaido was able to formally create a symbol of its own prefecture. Not long afterwards, other prefectures would also begin adopting flags of their own, beginning with Miyazaki Prefecture in 1952 and continuing on through the 1950s until all of Japan's prefectures had adopted flags of their own. In terms of official usage the Prefectural Flag is constantly used, and the symbol on its front is the symbol of its government, but the Ainu flag sees less usage, primarily used among the Ainu Community of the island and at ceremonial events.

Description
The history of national flags is a relatively new one, but even newer is the idea of flags for individual provinces, states, and prefectures. Examples exist such as Scotland and England et. al. in the United Kingdom or the flags of the sub-national monarchies of pre-WWI Germany, but in terms of things such as the states of California or in this case the prefectures of Japan, individual flags of sub-national subdivisions are a far newer concept. In California for instance the first state to adopt a state flag was San Francisco in 1907, and even then it took some time to gain traction until the very last state to adopt a flag was Klamath in 1931. Japan, meanwhile, had no prefectural flags until 1951. Before that time the only flags were the flags of government ministries, the royal family, or the national flag of Japan itself.

In 1951, the very first prefectural flag to be adopted was done so by the prefecture of Hokkaido. In the context of Japan, Hokkaido was a very distinct prefecture: it was very rural, very un-urbanized, and host to a distinctive local history that was at least partially characterized by the indigenous Ainu people, the native people of Hokkaido who had long faced a history of cultural repression by the Japanese. By 1951 however, 4 years after the Californian occupation had begun, concerted efforts to both raise the profile of the Ainu and develop the island after a long period of relative neglect by the central Japanese government had led to the development of a local "Hokkaidan" identity that was still bound up in the idea of Japan and being Japanese, but with a distinctive local identity that made it separate from other prefectures such as Aomori or Ishikari.

As part of it, the growing local identity led to the proposed creation of a flag to represent Hokkaido. Not long before, a young Ainu boy had created a flag which he hoped would represent the Ainu people, much as other groups often had flags to represent themselves as well. This flag would later partially inspire a series of designs for the flag of Hokkaido, which came down to a singular design that proved highly popular. Said flag prominently featured a design which centered a seven-pointed star, which many said was taken directly from the logo of the Hokkaido Redevelopment Administration that had done a great deal to rebuild and invest in the island. In 1951, at the urging of the occupational authority, the government of Hokkaido took this flag design and introduced it alongside the proposed Ainu flag as a two-part piece of legislation, adopting the former as the Prefectural Flag and the latter as the "Ainu Indigenous Flag". By a margin of two votes, it passed.

The actual process of allowing there to be a prefectural flag to begin with was something of a hassle when it came to the desires of the Imperial Government, but after enough time had passed the government of Hokkaido was able to formally create a symbol of its own prefecture. Not long afterwards, other prefectures would also begin adopting flags of their own, beginning with Miyazaki Prefecture in 1952 and continuing on through the 1950s until all of Japan's prefectures had adopted flags of their own. In terms of official usage the Prefectural Flag is constantly used, and the symbol on its front is the symbol of its government, but the Ainu flag sees less usage, primarily used among the Ainu Community of the island and at ceremonial events.