Japan’s Royal Family Makes Instagram Debut

 Japan's Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, poses for the media at the Japanese Red Cross Society as she begins to work on April 1, 2024. (AFP)
Japan's Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, poses for the media at the Japanese Red Cross Society as she begins to work on April 1, 2024. (AFP)
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Japan’s Royal Family Makes Instagram Debut

 Japan's Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, poses for the media at the Japanese Red Cross Society as she begins to work on April 1, 2024. (AFP)
Japan's Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, poses for the media at the Japanese Red Cross Society as she begins to work on April 1, 2024. (AFP)

Japan's royal family is now on Instagram -- but don't expect any candid selfies from its official account, which went live Monday in a cautious social media debut for the ancient monarchy.

The first 19 posts are formally staged photos and videos of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako carrying out royal duties at recent public appearances.

Nonetheless, more than 160,000 users have followed the Imperial Household Agency (IHA) account, which was announced a week ago but set to private until Monday.

The Japanese monarchy has mythological origins stretching back more than two millennia, and any public criticism of the emperor remains taboo in the country.

By joining social media, the institution hopes to spark interest among younger generations about what the imperial family does, an IHA spokesperson confirmed to AFP.

But, perhaps predictably, the posts under the Instagram handle kunaicho_jp contain no behind-the-scenes juice.

Strictly factual captions explain what the emperor did on what day, from meeting foreign dignitaries to admiring bonsai trees, with comments moderated.

The account does not follow any other users, and has so far not ventured into Instagram Stories.

"The IHA is on Instagram! I thought it was an April Fools' prank!" one X user wrote in reaction to the launch.

"When I heard the IHA created an Instagram account, I quickly checked it out. But of course the emperor wouldn't post 'today's lunch (heart emoji)' or anything like that," wrote another.

Some users joked it was good the royals had chosen the more "civilized" Instagram over X, formerly Twitter.

Naruhito ascended the Chrysanthemum throne in 2019 in a tradition-laden ceremony after his highly popular father became the first emperor to abdicate in over two centuries.

Other monarchies have created social media accounts, including Britain's royals, who have recently been at the center of a storm of rumors and conspiracy theories.

The manipulation of a family photograph the palace released to the media fueled online speculation over the whereabouts of Catherine, Princess of Wales, who later revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer.



Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
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Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)

Tests results released Friday showed the water quality in the River Seine was slightly below the standards needed to authorize swimming — just as the Paris Olympics start.

Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host swimming competitions, since water quality is deeply linked with the weather in the French capital.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicized dip last week in a bid to ease fears. The Seine will be used for marathon swimming and triathlon.

Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli.

Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris show that at the Bras Marie, E. coli levels were then above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters determined by European rules on June 17, when the mayor took a dip.

The site reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, joined her, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.

At two other measuring points further downstream, the results were below the threshold.

The statement by Paris City Hall and the prefecture of the Paris region noted that water quality last week was in line with European rules six days out of seven on the site which is to host the Olympic swimming competitions.

It noted that "the flow of the Seine is highly unstable due to regular rainfall episodes and remains more than twice the usual flow in summer," explaining fluctuating test results.

Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. Since 2015, organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics and to ensure Parisians have a cleaner river after the Games. The plan included constructing a giant underground water storage basin in central Paris, renovating sewer infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.