An Ainu flag was designed by Bikki Sunazawa, a Japanese sculptor of Ainu ancestry, in 1973. Bikki's son claims copyright ownership and requests for the disuse of the flag. Upon a repeated request from his friend, Bikki Sunazawa eventually designed the flag in 1973 although he distanced himself from political activism seeking government support. Nevertheless, an Ainu group displayed the flag when they marched at a May Day celebration in Sapporo in the same year. On rare occasions, it is still seen at Ainu functions.