‘Slander is Unacceptable’: No Mention of Suffering from Coronavirus Disaster at Akishino's Birthday Press Conference

 

 

His Imperial Highness Prince Akishino, the younger brother of His Majesty the Emperor and heir to the throne, celebrated his 56th birthday on the 30th. At a press conference held prior to the event, he explained the marriage of his eldest daughter, Mako, to her husband, Kei Komuro, saying, "I did not perform (the ceremony) at my own discretion.” He stated that slander on the Internet and other media "cannot be tolerated," and mentioned the need to establish standards for refuting such slander.

 

In the recent announcement of Mako's marriage by the Imperial Household Agency and the wedding press conference by Mako herself, there were references to "slander" and "misinformation," but they were met with a public outcry, as if they were confusing legitimate criticism with slander. In this birthday press conference, Akishino also followed the "slander of slander" line, which immediately caused a backlash on the Internet.

 

In looking back on this year, there was no mention of the many people who suffered from the Corona disaster, and he did not show any compassion for the suffering of the people. There was also a question about the decrease in the number of members of the Imperial Family, but he made no mention of issues such as the Female Imperial Family or the Female Emperor.

 

The marriage has been the subject of a series of critical opinions since the financial troubles related to the Komuro family were reported in late 2017. At a press conference, Prince Akishino pointed out that the 28-page document released by Komuro in April this year as an explanation of the circumstances was "not something that everyone could read and understand. He explained that he did not carry out a series of marriage ceremonies, including the Nousai Ceremony, based on his own judgment.

 

By foregoing the ceremonies, he said, "I gave the impression that the events of the Imperial Family were very light," and added, "Originally, it would have been better to hold (the ceremonies). I am sorry to those who were inconvenienced. Regarding the state of the Imperial Family, he stressed that "the public should take precedence over the private," but when it came to marriage, he said, "If the public takes precedence, we will not be able to marry even after 10 or 20 years.

 

She commented on the fact that the press conference held by Mr. and Mrs. Komuro on October 26 was limited to the reading of a document, saying, "I would have liked it to be a two-way street (where the journalists could ask questions on the spot), not a one-way street. It would have been better for her to talk about her husband's (Mr. Komuro's) financial troubles herself and answer questions.

 

On the other hand, when asked about the bashing on the Internet and other media that contributed to Mako's development of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), he said, "I have written some pretty terrible things. Words that deeply hurt people, whether in magazines or on the Internet, are not acceptable," he criticized.

 

Up until now, Prince Akishino has taken a wait-and-see stance, refusing to respond to individual weekly magazine reports, but from now on, he said, "We need to establish certain standards when we issue a response. I will think about it while consulting with the Imperial Household Agency," he said, suggesting that he might respond based on a certain framework of judgment.

 

In Japan, amidst the heated criticism of Mako's marriage, many people have expressed that their respect for the Emperor and his family has not changed, but criticism of the Akishino family, which supports Mako, has also increased. The Internet is abuzz with comments such as, “The imperial line must not be transferred to the Akishino family.", "The (Akishino) family should leave the imperial family and become vassals.”