Japan’s government acknowledged on Monday that it had manipulated an official photo of its new cabinet to present members in a more polished manner, following online mockery of their appearance, particularly their sagging trousers.
Images captured by local media highlighted what seemed to be an untidy patch of white shirt beneath the morning suits of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Defence Minister Gen Nakatani.
In the official photo released by Ishiba’s office, these imperfections were absent, but the alteration did little to quell the ridicule on social media regarding the “untidy cabinet.” One user on X remarked, “This is more hideous than a group picture of some kind of a seniors’ club during a trip to a hot spring. It’s utterly embarrassing.”
Top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi addressed the criticism, stating, “Minor editing was made.” He explained that “group photos during official events of the prime minister’s office, such as the cabinet reshuffle, will be preserved forever as memorabilia, so minor editing is customarily performed on these photos.”
This incident echoes a similar controversy in March when Catherine, Britain’s Princess of Wales, apologized for editing a family photo released by the palace. The Mother’s Day portrait of a smiling Kate had inconsistencies and prompted major news agencies, including AFP, to withdraw it due to manipulation. “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” Kate stated. “I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”
