Japan’s royal family eyeing social media to stay relevant, form closer bond with people

With experts in agreement that an overhaul by the Imperial Household Agency of its communication style, including giving increased exposure to the family, is long overdue, the agency said in late December that it would set up a formal public relations office in April after its budget request to hire more staff was approved by the Japanese cabinet.

Currently, the agency only has a single website as a direct interface with the public, where it posts images and statements related to the public appearances of imperial family members, including Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, a certain period after they take place.

This approach contrasts sharply with the big online presence of European royal families, including the British royal family, which, in addition to websites, has accounts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, each with more than a million followers. All accounts are updated almost daily with images of royal family members making visits or meeting people.

Some conservatives in Japan are opposed to shining more of a light on the lives of imperial family members and bringing the emperor, once deemed a god, too close to the people. Under the constitution, his role is defined as being “the symbol of the state and the unity of the people of Japan”.

The emperor is also prohibited from making political remarks under the supreme law, a restriction that is believed to be one of the reasons behind the agency’s reluctance to change its stance in transmitting information.

But Yohei Mori, a professor of media history at Seijo University with expertise in imperial family matters, says the agency’s manner of communicating with the public “remains at the level of the first half of the 20th century” in an age increasingly dominated by social media.