History

[Daniel J. Matyola]

In Japanese, "asa" means morning, and "hi" can mean either sun or fire 
(as in Hibachi).  In this case, it means morning sun, but this phrase is 
usually translated into English as "rising sun," and it is the name of 
the red circle on the Japanese flag.  It is a patriotic expression, akin 
to the word "Colimbia" when used to refer to the USA.  It is a common 
element of brand names in Japan, as in Asahi Beer and  Asahi Shimbun, 
one of Japan's leading newspapers.  Written Japanese, and some Japanese 
words, are based on Chinese.  From China, Japan appears to be the land 
where the sun rises or originates, thus the Japanese word for the 
country of Japan is Hihon or Nippon, "origin of the sun," and asahi 
refers to the land of the rising sun.