The Japanese's government on Monday admitted that it manipulated an official photo of the new cabinet to make members appear less unkempt.
The decision came after social media users mocked the original image, which showed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Defence minister Gen Nakatani with untidy appearances, including sagging trousers.
In the official photo released by Ishiba's office, noticeable blemishes, such as a patch of white shirt under their suits, were removed.
However, the edited version did not evade public scrutiny, leading to a wave of online criticism about the " untidy cabinet ."
Top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi addressed the issue and said, "Minor editing was made." He explained that such adjustments are customary for preserving official group photos from significant events like cabinet reshuffles.
"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," he said.
"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," one user commented on X.
The decision came after social media users mocked the original image, which showed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Defence minister Gen Nakatani with untidy appearances, including sagging trousers.
In the official photo released by Ishiba's office, noticeable blemishes, such as a patch of white shirt under their suits, were removed.
However, the edited version did not evade public scrutiny, leading to a wave of online criticism about the " untidy cabinet ."
Top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi addressed the issue and said, "Minor editing was made." He explained that such adjustments are customary for preserving official group photos from significant events like cabinet reshuffles.
"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," he said.
"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," one user commented on X.
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