News Japan Imperial Family to debut on Instagram

Japan's Imperial Household Agency is embracing the digital age by launching an official Instagram account. Their goal is to enhance public understanding of the imperial family, especially among young people. Starting 1 April, the account will feature photos and videos of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako's activities and glimpses of the nature and culture at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. This marks the agency's first foray into social media for public relations purposes. Additionally, they are considering sharing content about Crown Prince Fumihito, Crown Princess Kiko, and other family members. The move comes after the agency faced challenges with online reactions to Princess Mako's engagement and marriage in 2021. By proactively sharing accurate information, they hope to counter negative perceptions and foster a deeper connection with the public.

The agency established a formal press relations office in April last year to revamp its public outreach and studied the possibility of using social media as part of efforts to proactively share information about the imperial family. The move comes after the agency struggled with sharp, often slanderous, online reactions to former princess Mako's engagement and 2021 marriage to her university sweetheart, Kei Komuro. The agency has suggested that proactive disclosure of accurate information could help counter the bashing of the family.

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I can finally learn what royalty eats for lunch every day

salyavin said:

I can finally learn what royalty eats for lunch every day

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And it is us, the taxpayers, footing the salmon.





Kunaicho's IG account has already garnered more than a million subscribers.

The Instagram page of the IHA has meanwhile over 1.8 million followers:

The agency recently released data on the performance of its official Instagram account since its launch in April. They found that 17.3% of its roughly 1.8 million followers are young people aged 13 to 34. While acknowledging that it has reached a younger audience, the agency plans to refine its strategies further to engage this demographic.

By the end of September, the account had accumulated 19.3 million likes across 142 posts. The most popular post featured photos of the Imperial Family – Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako, and Princess Aiko – enjoying a relaxed day at the Imperial Stock Farm. These images, capturing the family digging for bamboo shoots and spending time together, garnered an impressive 691,000 likes.

The Imperial Household Agency established its Press and Public Relations Office in April 2023 to strengthen the dissemination of information about the activities of the Imperial Family. It launched the Instagram account in April 2024 to engage the younger generation. Although behind-the-scenes-style leisure shots tend to get more likes than official activities, the agency intends to continue operating the account to inform the public about official activities. The age distribution of followers was as follows: 1.4% were aged 13 to 17, 5.7% were 18 to 24, 10.2% were 25 to 34, 16.3% were 35 to 44, 28.0% were 45 to 54, 26.7% were 55 to 64, and 11.7% were 65 and older.

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After cautiously dipping their toes into the perilous waters of social media, the Imperial family now takes the bold leap onto YouTube.

Japan's Imperial Household Agency announced yesterday that it has begun sharing updates on Princess Aiko's solo engagements, along with the activities of the Akishino family and other imperial relatives, through its official Instagram account. The account, first launched in April 2024, has so far mainly highlighted the public appearances of the Emperor and Empress and currently has 2.06 million followers. From 18 August, the agency's public relations office explained, the account will begin posting monthly digests covering Princess Aiko's independent duties, the Akishino family's official engagements, and other activities of imperial household members.



Officials expressed the hope that this move would allow younger generations to gain a deeper understanding of the imperial family. They emphasised that by diversifying the information provided, the agency aims to reach a wider audience, especially among the youth.