Japan’s Royal Family Debuts On Instagram, But Ancient Monarchy Won’t Be Posting Any Selfies

The royal family of Japan has taken to Instagram. It launched on Monday, marking the old monarchy’s circumspect social media debut. Expect no unguarded selfies from its official account, however. Fans could be let down if they were hoping for selfies, emoticons, and candid photos of the emperor, empress, prince, or princess out of the spotlight.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako performing royal responsibilities during recent public appearances are shown in the first 19 posts, which are professionally prepared images and films. Even yet, the Imperial Household Agency (IHA) account—which was made public a week ago but remained secret until Monday—has more than 170,000 followers.

With over two millennia of mythical roots, the Japanese monarchy is deeply ingrained in national culture, and open criticism of the emperor is still frowned upon. An IHA representative said that the organisation wants to use social media to educate the next generation about the activities of the royal dynasty.

However, as could be expected, there is no behind-the-scenes footage in the Instagram photos shared under the username kunaicho_jp. Moderate remarks accompany strictly factual subtitles that detail the emperor’s daily activities, including meetings with foreign dignitaries and admiring bonsai plants. The account hasn’t tried its hand at Instagram Stories yet and doesn’t follow any other users.

“Check out The IHA on Instagram! One X user commented, “I thought it was an April Fools’ prank!” in response to the debut. “I checked out the IHA’s Instagram account as soon as I heard about it. Another person commented, “But of course the emperor wouldn’t post ‘today’s lunch (love emoji)’ or anything like that.

Some commenters made light of the royals’ decision to stick with Instagram, which is more “civilised,” rather than X. Following the historic abdication of his father, who was very beloved, Naruhito took the throne in a ceremony steeped in history in 2019. Several kingdoms have established social media profiles, such as the British royal family, who were recently in the news due to a family picture modification that sparked rumours about the Princess of Wales’ location.