MPs voice outcry as Tokyo 2020 organisers say they have no plans to restrict use of flag that Seoul says has militaristic roots

South Korea is intensifying its campaign to ban the Japanese “rising sun” flag from being displayed at next year’s Tokyo Olympics, in the latest diplomatic row linked to the countries’ bitter wartime history.

In September, South Korea’s sports ministry asked the International Olympic Committee [IOC] to ban the flag – regarded by many Koreans as a symbol of Japanese militarism and colonial rule.

Related: 'We have to get along': Japan's Korean residents at sharp end of diplomatic row