The Emperor and Empress, Princess Aiko, Prince and Princess Akishino, and other members of the Imperial Family attend a garden party at Akasaka Gyoen in Motoakasaka, Tokyo, on April 23rd. (©Sankei by Takumi Kamoshida)
Hurtful slander lacking any factual basis should never be tolerated under any circumstances. However, recently some magazines and internet sites have carried a barrage of criticisms of the imperial family. The baseless content regarding Crown Prince Akishino's family stands out in particular, and can only be described as bashing.
Such falsehoods and bashing should not be protected under the banner of freedom of speech. Unfortunately, disrespectful and boorish individuals are rampant, even if numerically they are very much in the minority.
Recent Cases of Slander
Slander against the Akishino family began to escalate around 2017. That is when then-Princess Mako (now Mako Komuro) and Kei Komuro announced their engagement. It was followed by a lot of misinformation speculating about Princess Kako's "partner." And more recently some false reports have appeared concerning which university Prince Hisahito will choose to attend. Unfortunately, they ignore the fact that the prince is now in his critical third year of high school.
Crown Princess Kiko presented her thoughts on the plight of individuals who suffer bashing online. She responded in writing to a question posed by the Imperial Household Press Club before her birthday on September 11. For example, she wrote, "When our family faces such a situation, it is difficult to remain calm and we become distressed."
We can only imagine how painful it must be for members of her family to be subjected to such abuse.
Imperial Household Agency Grand Steward Yasuhiko Nishimura commented on this on September 11. In his regularly scheduled press briefing, he said that he was "deeply distressed" by the situation.
Stepping Up to Protect the Imperial Family
But if officials at the Imperial Household Agency are simply upset, that changes absolutely nothing. The Cabinet and the Imperial Household Agency must immediately take measures to protect the imperial family from unfounded criticism.
Previously the Empress Emerita (former Empress Michiko) lost her voice due to malicious reports in weekly magazines. Empress Masako has also been the subject of unfounded hurtful slander since her days as Crown Princess.
In similar situations, ordinary citizens are free to sue for reputational damage and seek compensation for the harm done to them. However, the imperial family has no such direct means of responding.
Current Response is Not Enough
Since 2007, the Imperial Household Agency has made it a rule "to point out the exact facts" when necessary in response to "reports that deviate egregiously from the truth."
Yet, judging from the current situation, it is hard to claim that their response has been adequate. Moreover, it is no longer simply the news reports themselves. We now live in an age in which online videos and the influence of social media are rapidly expanding.
To prevent false information from taking on a life of its own, we must take stronger measures, including more proactive refutation.
We would also like to see the Akishino family protected from malicious attacks and the dignity of Japan restored.
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(Read the editorial in Japanese.)
Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun
