they show the modern Japanese flag (white with a red circle in the middle).
That flag you saw isn't really that "modern" - it's been around since the 1870s. It's the "sun mark flag," or "circle of the sun" flag. Also known as the
hinomaru in Japanese. A variation is the Rising Sun Flag, which has the red sun circle as well as the rays projecting outward.
During WWII both flags were used by Japan and its military. I believe the one with the rays projecting outward was the official flag of the Imperial Japanese Navy, but it was used interchangeably by Army units as well, along with the sun mark flag.
Here's some images of both flags from WW2:
https://www.google.com/search?q=japanese+soldier+in+ww2&biw=1242&bih=519&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiI7vLKpp3RAhXqhlQKHexxAt0Q_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=japanese+flag+in+ww2 Don't mess with me, man! I know karate, judo, ju-jitsu..... and several other Japanese words.
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