posted 10-06-2020 01:54 PM               

I almost purchased one of these, but a friendly user alerted me to this thread. I was suspicious that this was a reproduction owing to the smaller size of the flag — it's not the usual 4x6" size of the other flown county flags. Luckily, the seller sent me a photo of the Japanese label on the reverse (cited above) I was able to confirm the "reproduction" status of this item.

The Japanese-language label on the reverse of these plaques reads as follows (rough translation):

About this plaque: The Apollo 15 spacecraft, which the US launched in 1971, remained on the surface of the moon for 66 hours and 55 minutes before returning to earth. Apollo 15 carried the flags from all over the world, including the Japanese flag — and along with it, the Japanese people's dreams of space — to the lunar surface. The Japanese flag was [then] sent to our country from NASA in commemoration of the opening of the [1978] Space Science Expo. Ryoichi Sasagawa has made an exact replica of the Japanese flag that was carried to the moon's surface, produced in hopes of the peaceful utilization of space and prosperity of human beings.

Sasagawa was a Japanese philanthropist (a ship builder) who was president of the Association for the Space Science Exposition (ASSE) which sponsored the Space Expo event. According to the label, he produced this replica plaque as a souvenir of the event.

As noted, one of these plaques was listed in the 2000 Superior Catalog, and another was listed on eBay in 2003. So there's certainly a number of these floating around.

Assuming most US buyers don't read Japanese, these plaques are very misleading. They are extremely well produced, and the front clearly states that the flag is flown. However, they are also clearly labeled as reproductions, but this information is presented only in Japanese (on the reverse). Misleading for English speakers, but perfectly appropriate disclosure for their original intended Japanese market.