Although the Philippines were under the control of Spain, the short-lived Republic of Biak-na-Bato was proclaimed as the first Philippine Republic in 1897 by Emilio Aguinaldo. The flag consisted of a disc featuring a human face emitting 24 beams of sunlight. The disc, sans the face, is still retained in the current Philippine flag. The Pacific Island Trust Territory was established by the United Nations and was administrated by the United States from 1947 to 1986. It included the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau. The Republic of Ezo existed from January to June of 1869. Located on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, it was the first Asian state to hold an open election. The Tongan flag was adopted in 1862. In 1864, the Red Cross was formed in Geneva, Switzerland and used the reverse pattern of the Swiss flag in tribute, a design matching the Tongan flag of 1862. Tonga changed its flag in 1866.
