The Air Jordan 12 “Rising Sun” looked like a pretty clean release when it arrived in 2009. White leather covered most of the shoe, with black and red used on the branding, heel, and inside. The patent leather mudguard added a little shine, but nothing about the colorway itself seemed all that controversial.

The story changed once people started paying attention to the insoles.

Early pairs came with a Rising Sun flag graphic printed inside the shoe. That was where the problem started. In Japan, stepping on a national symbol can be viewed as disrespectful. But the bigger issue came from the history behind the flag itself.

The Rising Sun flag was used by the Japanese military during the country’s imperial expansion, and it still carries a painful meaning in places such as Korea and China. Because of that history, critics in parts of Asia have compared the way the symbol is viewed there to the way Nazi-era symbols are viewed in Europe.

That made the graphic inside the shoe a much bigger deal than Jordan Brand probably expected.

Before the wider release, Jordan Brand delayed the launch and changed the insoles. Stores that had already received pairs were reportedly told to send the original graphic insoles back, and plain white versions were used instead.

A few of the early pairs still got out. Some stores and online sellers reportedly sold them before the change was made, which is why versions with the original Rising Sun insoles are still out there today.

The connection also went deeper than the 2009 colorway. The Air Jordan 12 itself was partly inspired by Japan’s Rising Sun design. You can see it in the stitched lines across the upper, which spread outward from the mudguard.

That part of the design became a talking point again years later. In 2016, Korean professor Seo Kyoung-duk raised concerns about the Air Jordan 12 and its connection to Rising Sun imagery. He wrote to Michael Jordan, Tinker Hatfield, and then-Nike CEO Mark Parker about the issue. Nike later stopped selling the Air Jordan 12 in Korea.

Back in the U.S., the “Rising Sun” still built a following. It never became as popular as Air Jordan 12 releases like the “Nubuck” or “Melo,” but the clean white look made it easy to wear. It was also a solid basketball option at a time when plenty of people were still playing in Jordan 12s.

The Air Jordan 12 “Rising Sun” finally released on November 21, 2009, after the delay. More than 15 years later, Jordan Brand has yet to bring it back.

If it ever does return, the shoe itself could probably come back without many changes. The bigger question is the name. With everything tied to the original release, it would not be surprising to see Jordan Brand give a future version a different nickname.

For now, the Air Jordan 12 “Rising Sun” remains a one-time release, with original pairs still occasionally showing up on the resale market.

Stay up to date with all upcoming Air Jordan releases from our Air Jordan Release Dates page.

Photos: @ijapino