Japanese airline drops its ‘Z’ logo so travelers won’t mistake it for Russia support
By Iris Jung
Zipair, a budget Japanese airline, has announced it will replace its “Z” logo, which has become a pro-war symbol used by Russian military vehicles.
Launched in 2018, Zipair is a low-cost airline operating Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft in Tokyo, Bangkok, Seoul, Honolulu, Singapore and Los Angeles. The airline has also announced that it will serve San Jose, California, beginning in December 2022.
The decision to renovate the original “Z” logo came after the same letter was adopted by the Russian military as an emblem for the ongoing war in Ukraine. Although this letter is not part of the Russian Cyrillic alphabet, it has been sported by Russian athletes and stars who are in support of Russia’s invasion. In addition, it has been commonly seen at pro-Russia rallies.
The president of Zipair, Shingo Nishida, acknowledged to The Japan Times that “some people” may mistake his airline’s logo as a sign of support for Russia’s war if “they see it without any explanation.”
The “Z” logo will be replaced by a criss-cross geometric pattern in green, black and white. However, the aircraft has acted with urgency and will conceal the present logos with temporary plastic decals as they wait for the logo replacements. The logo is scheduled to be updated on Saturday, June 18.
As a member of the G7, Japan has opposed the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, joining sanctions against Russia and preventing the nation’s access to the SWIFT banking system. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also called on the Japanese parliament to “ramp up” economic sanctions against Russia.
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