Japan
“Disorderly” dressed: Government re-edits picture of new cabinet
Dressed too sloppily? Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (first row center) and his cabinet
© Kyodo News / Imago Images
The official photo of the new cabinet is causing a stir in Japan. Because even if it’s just about two details: the image was manipulated.
The Japanese government manipulated an official photo of the new cabinet to make its members appear more neatly dressed. In photos from Japanese media of the presentation of the new one Government officials had bits of their white shirts peeking out from under Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani’s tailcoats, and both were wearing noticeably wrinkled trousers. In the official cabinet photo, these blemishes had mysteriously disappeared – but not quickly enough to prevent a wave of online ridicule about the “disorderly” cabinet.
“This is worse than a group photo of a pensioners club on a trip,” wrote a user on the online service X: “This is totally embarrassing.”
Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi admitted on Monday that there had been “minor” retouching of the cabinet photo. Group photos from the head of government’s official events would be kept “forever as a souvenir,” he emphasized. Therefore, it is “common to make minor edits.”
Image editing is not only controversial in Japan
British Princess Kate caused a stir in March by retouching an official Mother’s Day photo that showed her and her three children beaming in the garden. After news outlets withdrew the retouched image, Kate admitted that “like many amateur photographers,” she occasionally enjoys experimenting with image editing programs.