The Japanese government has been mocked for doctoring an official photograph to make the cabinet look marginally more tidy.
Pictures taken by local media showed Shigeru Ishiba, Japan’s new prime minister, and the defence minister with the ends of their white shirts sticking out underneath their suits.
In one of the original photos a glimpse of shirt can be seen underneath the jacket of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (second from right).Credit: AP
But an official photo issued by the prime minister’s office on Thursday showed everything in order.
After careful observers noticed the subtle changes, the government conceded on Monday that “minor editing was made” to the photograph.
Yoshimasa Hayashi, a government spokesman, said the photo needed editing as it would be “preserved forever as memorabilia” and that “minor editing is customarily performed” on official photos.
The editing backfired, provoking further ridicule online in Japan, known for its order and propriety.
“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 critic observed.
“The words ‘nursing home entrance ceremony’ are going round and round in my head,” another joked.
The episode had echoes of the scandal that rocked the British Royal family earlier this year, when Kate Middleton came under fire for editing a family photograph.