News IHA not amused over video of Princess Kako sleeping during flight in Brazil

A video showing Princess Kako dozing off during a recent flight in Brazil has sparked ire within the Imperial Household Agency (IHA), which criticised the footage as an unwarranted breach of privacy. Speaking at a press conference on 13 June, Naomasa Yoshida, Grand Master of the Crown Prince's household, commented, "In general, it is inappropriate to film individuals during private moments without their consent."


A video showing Princess Kako dozing off during a recent flight in Brazil has sparked ire within the Imperial Household Agency (IHA), which criticised the footage as an unwarranted breach of privacy. Speaking at a press conference on 13 June, Naomasa Yoshida, Grand Master of the Crown Prince's household, commented, "In general, it is inappropriate to film individuals during private moments without their consent."

Princess Kako, the second daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, and niece of Emperor Naruhito, is currently in Brazil to participate in events commemorating 130 years of diplomatic ties between Japan and Brazil. According to the agency, the video—shared on social media platform X around 12 June—shows Princess Kako and agency staff boarding a commercial flight in Brazil. The clip later captures the 30-year-old royal briefly asleep in her seat.

Princess Kako, the second daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, and niece of Emperor Naruhito, is currently in Brazil to participate in events commemorating 130 years of diplomatic ties between Japan and Brazil. According to the agency, the video, shared on the social media platform X around 12 June, shows Princess Kako and agency staff boarding a commercial flight in Brazil. The clip later captures the 30-year-old royal briefly asleep in her seat.

The agency disclosed June 13 that it had asked the operator of X, formerly known as Twitter, to look into whether the video violated the company's guidelines. The site, in principle, bans the sharing of video footage taken without permission. Based on the content of the video, an official with the Imperial Household Agency's Public Relations Office said it was highly unlikely that the princess gave permission for the footage to be taken.

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A legal opinion:

Yuichi Nakazawa, a lawyer who is well-versed in legal matters concerning the internet and social media, said privacy issues inevitably come into play when footage is taken of an individual and posted without the person's permission. But since the video was taken on a plane, and a commercial flight at that, he said the issue of private space is a nonstarter in legal terms, meaning it would be difficult to prove any violation had occurred. Moreover, in this celebrity obsessed age it can be argued that postings of a person in the public eye serve the public interest, Nakazawa added.

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Apart from any legal ramifications and privacy issues, I find it quite heartwarming to see the human side of Japanese royalty. Never happens in Japan.