Japan admits to customarily editing 'untidy' cabinet photo

Japan's government acknowledged on Monday that it had altered an official photo of its new cabinet to address the appearance of members' disheveled attire. This came after social media mocked the image showing some cabinet members with sagging trousers.

Local media captured images revealing what seemed to be unkempt patches of white shirts under the morning suits worn by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Defence Minister Gen Nakatani. However, the official photo released by Ishiba's office showed no such blemishes.

Addressing the issue, top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters, "Minor editing was made," and explained, "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."


The incident brought to mind an event in March involving Britain's Princess of Wales, Catherine. She apologized for editing a photo with her children, which was released by the palace and later withdrawn by major news agencies due to inconsistencies.

In a statement, Catherine said, "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused."