Latest news with #ImperialFamily
NHK
09-07-2025
- General
- NHK
Imperial couple honor deceased Japanese internees in Mongolia
Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako paid their respects Tuesday to about 1,700 Japanese internees who died in Mongolia shortly after World War II. It was part of the Imperial couple's eight-day visit to the country.
The Mainichi
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
Japan Imperial Household Agency's Instagram followers hit 2 mil.; more young viewers sought
TOKYO -- The official Instagram account of the Imperial Household Agency reached 2 million followers on the morning of July 3, with public interest remaining high more than a year after its launch in April 2024. However, growth among younger followers has been sluggish. The agency stated, "We want to keep trying different approaches to find what resonates with the younger generation." The Instagram account was launched to raise awareness about the activities of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako. Initially, there was a time lag between their activities and posts, but now the agency aims to be timelier and is posting like a news flash. While private moments, such as off-duty photos of bamboo shoot digging, tend to receive more "likes," when looking at the number of views on "reels" (short videos), it appears that official activities are also drawing attention. As of the account's first anniversary, the most-viewed reel was footage of the Imperial Couple watching a volleyball match with Japan Volleyball Association President Shunichi Kawai at the Japan Games in Saga Prefecture, with about 5.5 million views. A tea party with recipients of the Order of Culture was also popular, with about 3.3 million views. The latter event was also attended by the Imperial Couple's only daughter Princess Aiko, as well as Crown Prince Akishino (Fumihito) and his wife Crown Princess Kiko and their daughter Princess Kako. One reason the agency began using social media for public relations was to increase interest in the Imperial Family among younger generations. At the one-year operation mark, only 16.1% of followers were in the younger age group between 13-34 years old, down from 17.3% at the six-month mark. Women accounted for 66.8% of all followers. A senior agency official commented, "We need to consider whether the interest of those who were attracted by the novelty will continue in the future. As we enter the second year, how and what we communicate as our message is important." For fiscal 2025, the agency allocated about 27 million yen (roughly $187,000) to enhance public relations, a significant increase from about 2.6 million yen (approx. $18,000) the previous fiscal year. The budget will be apparently used to outsource video production, seek expert advice and strengthen the agency's PR structure. The agency is also considering ways to more broadly introduce the activities of the Imperial Family branches, not just the Emperor and Empress. The agency also has a policy of following back foreign royal families upon request, and as of the end of June, it had mutual follows with the royal families of the Netherlands (about 990,000 followers), Luxembourg (roughly 100,000), Spain (approx. 890,000), the United Kingdom (some 13.2 million) and Sweden (about 720,000). The mutual follow with the Swedish royal family was prompted by King Carl XVI Gustaf's visit to Japan to attend Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai in May, during which he dined with the Emperor and his family at the Imperial Palace.
The Mainichi
28-06-2025
- General
- The Mainichi
Japan Imperial Family's beloved dog Yuri dies due to old age
TOKYO -- The Imperial Family's beloved dog Yuri has died due to old age at 16 years and 4 months, a close aide to the Imperial Household announced on June 26. Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter Princess Aiko were all present when Yuri passed away on the evening of June 23 at the Imperial Residence within the Imperial Palace. Yuri was a female mixed breed dog with Shiba Inu traits, rescued at a veterinary hospital. The Imperial Couple adopted her in the spring of 2009 when she was about 2 months old, and Princess Aiko named her Yuri. She appeared frequently in family photographs released by the Imperial Household Agency to mark the family's birthdays and other occasions. Yuri had received training as a therapy dog and reportedly participated in animal therapy activities until the COVID-19 pandemic began. She interacted with children hospitalized in pediatric wards and took walks with them in hospital hallways. According to the aide, the Imperial Family stayed by Yuri's side in her final moments, recalling how deeply she had been loved by many people.
NHK
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NHK
Imperial family takes to social media
Japan's Imperial Household Agency is using Instagram and YouTube to open a window on the lives of the country's Imperial family.
The Mainichi
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Editorial: Japan's ruling LDP lacks sense of urgency over securing Imperial Family members
Discussions between Japan's ruling and opposition parties over measures to secure the number of Imperial Family members have hit a snag, and it is expected that they will forgo reaching consensus in this Diet session. The Imperial House Law stipulates that female Imperial Family members are to leave the family upon marriage. As the number of Imperial Household members dwindles, there are concerns that so will their activities at this rate. This is an issue that affects the foundation of this nation. The governing parties seem to lack a sense of urgency, for they are not putting their full effort into building a consensus over the matter. All the parties share the view that female Imperial Family members should be allowed to retain their status after marriage. However, the parties failed to reach an agreement after the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) remained at odds over whether to allow their husbands and children to join the Imperial Family. What stood out was the LDP's obstinate attitude. The CDP takes the position that the parties should consider giving the husbands and children of those female members the Imperial status. If their marriage is treated equally to that of male Imperial Family members, differences will not arise in status within a family. The LDP, meanwhile, argues that the husbands and children of those female members should not be granted the Imperial status, as the party is wary this will "give rise to the birth of emperors of female lineage who have no emperor on their father's side, raising the possibility of breaking the tradition of having emperors of the male lineage." Under that scenario, the husbands and children would be allowed to freely engage in political, economic and religious activities as commoners, which critics say could lead to political exploitation of the Imperial Family. The LDP also refused the scenario of the parties agreeing only to allow female members to retain Imperial status upon marriage while shelving the treatment of their husbands and children's status. The LDP showed no willingness to make even a step toward resolving the longstanding issue. The LDP has stuck to a proposal to allow males of the male lineage from the former Imperial branch families to be adopted into the Imperial Family. However, giving special treatment to former Imperial branch families alone could lead to "discrimination by family origin" prohibited under the Constitution of Japan. The issue of Imperial succession, to begin with, was not among the topics for discussion in this Diet session. Of the six Imperial Family members younger than Emperor Naruhito's generation, Prince Hisahito, the only son of Crown Prince Akishino (Fumihito), is the only male with the right to succeed to the Imperial Throne. For the Imperial Household system to be sustainable, discussion over whether to allow female emperors and emperors of female lineage is unavoidable. There is no need to block future options at this point. The Constitution stipulates that the Emperor is "the symbol of the unity of the people" and "derives his position from the will of the people." It is a political responsibility to work out an agreement that can win support from a broad segment of the public.
