Imperial Household Agency demands publisher apologize over Aiko article

Saturday 05th June, 06:21 AM JST

TOKYO —

The Imperial Household Agency has asked publisher Shinchosha for an apology and correction after a weekly magazine article alleged that the agency had suggested to Princess Aiko’s school that it add medication to the school meals of unruly boys to calm them down, which the agency described as a ‘‘baseless and malicious’’ accusation, a senior official of the agency said Friday.

Issei Nomura, grand master of the crown prince’s household at the agency, told a regular press conference that the protest was lodged Thursday over an article carried in Shukan Shincho weekly magazine, which hit store shelves the same day.

The article claimed that the board of the crown prince’s household allegedly recommended that Gakushuin Primary School mix medication for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder into the school meals of unruly boys, as the princess, a third grader, had become reluctant to go to school after encountering the rough behavior of the boys.

‘‘The article alleges officials of the agency suggested (the school) take action in violation of laws relating to medical practitioners and pharmaceutical affairs. It is simply not possible,’’ Nomura said.

Meanwhile, the publisher said, ‘‘We have confidence in the credibility of the article as it was written on a solid basis.’‘

Princess Aiko, 8, the only child of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, has been attending only a limited number of classes with her mother since March, according to the agency.

In March, Nomura told a regular news conference that the princess had missed school due to strong anxiety and stomachaches after being treated harshly by boys but the school quickly denied that the princess had been directly subjected to rowdy behavior.

Motomasa Higashisono, a senior director of the Gakushuin School Corporation, explained shortly after Nomura’s news conference that the princess was startled when a boy dashed out of a classroom and it must have reminded her of past rowdy behavior by boys.

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Latest 15 of 37 Total Comments Show All

cleo at 12:03 PM JST - 5th June

This article is about slandering and hurting a family and their child

No, it's about stuff the Imperial Household Agency (kunaicho) is alleged to have done. The Kunaicho is not the Imperial Family, and the article does nothing to slander and/or hurt the Crown Prince and Princess and their child. If anything it's the IHA that causes the Imperial Family more harm than anyone else, with its out-of-time, overbearing ways.

If the Imperial Family is to be allowed to live a reasonably normal life that doesn't send its female members dotty and/or neurotic, it needs to be rescued from the clutches of the IHA and its dinosaur 'retainers' or whatever they like to call themselves. 'Grand master' indeed.
Badsey at 01:57 PM JST - 5th June

I am against these type of "medications" and media who attack children for the sake of profit.
Kapuna at 02:57 PM JST - 5th June

Why doesn't the IHA transfer the unruly students or, transfer the princess?
Laguna at 03:08 PM JST - 5th June

Controlling children's behavior pharmaceutically must be reserved for only the truly ill. This story is absolutely shocking if true.
DXXJP at 04:05 PM JST - 5th June

Who here has never been bullied at that age. I wished my mother could have joined me at school during those times. But now I understand why she didnt, not only to make me a stronger person, but the increased attention would have made it even worse.

She probably will never have it any harder than now, as long as her mother is at her side she will never know what its like to stand on her own. When another of these articles comes out, and they will, will it be the IHH or her mother chasing the bad guys away.
tmarie at 04:45 PM JST - 5th June

She will end up just like her mother - a shadow figure who adds nothing but laps up the money fro the tax payers. Get rid of the family and their status. The US was nice enough to let them carry on after the war but the time has come that they are not needed and a burden on the country - taxes, mental issues, drinking problems, "bullying"... Instead of talking about these issues and educating the public about them people are punished for reporting it. They could do so much to educate the pubic and change people's perceptions of such issues but do nothing.
joriandrake at 06:20 PM JST - 5th June

@tmarie I believe Japan is best spared the communist-like brainwashing "education" you speak of.
browny1 at 08:28 PM JST - 5th June

As many have said - it's the IHA that's in the spotlight. No one has bashed Princess Aiko or family. I'd hazard a guess, that because Shukan Shincho has picked up the gauntlet thrown by the IH, that they have proof of their statements and at this stage DON'T feel any need to expose sources. After all this is a democracy and not a kingdom.
TheRat at 10:17 PM JST - 5th June

@tmarie I believe Japan is best spared the communist-like brainwashing "education" you speak of.

Wow, joriandrake, what century are you from anyhow?!!! tmarie has said nothing communist or illogical. She is completely right. The nation is having to listen to this crap about a girl who just couldn't handle a few boys running past her in school and then having these boys DRUGGED / sedated. Unbelievable. This behavior is what you would expect out of a Stalinist communist. I wonder how much money is wasted on these foolish people.
Bebert61 at 10:59 PM JST - 5th June

I seem to remember that there was a time in America when a school could strong arm parents into putting their child on Ritalin if he was too boisterous in the class room. Put the kid on mood pills or watch him get suspended. So the school would go the direct route and use a threat.

Perhaps the Imperial Household Agency should have used this approach rather than trying to surreptitiously drug the brats. Step 1 - identify the rowdy brats. Step 2 - send a letter on official stationary to the parents of each brat, informing them their child is a threat to the princess. Step 3 - see if they fall in line and put the belt to their brats. Step 4 - well, you don't want to put step four in writing.
Mikanojo at 11:58 PM JST - 5th June

It seems to me that gossip magazines like Shukan Shincho have no real credibility and are best used for warming blankets by the many homeless, or as shredded pulp to give pretty caged birds something to play with and poop on. It was only April when JT had an article about Shukan Shincho admitting that yet another one of its published accounts was a lie.. that one was about a 1987 shooting incident at the Asahi Shimbun newspaper’s Hanshin bureau that killed one reporter and injured another. The Shukan Shincho is not a credible news source, it is only a shameless gossip and scandal tabloid and the people who read about this latest claim of drugging rowdy schoolboys had to skip past the other articles about space aliens in government positions and how rubbing toirettopepa between your boobs will make them grow bigger. This is a fake scandal for the sake of scandal and nothing more.
presto345 at 12:19 AM JST - 6th June

Our modern educational principles now exclude disciplinary methods that used to work. No more slaps on the wrists, boxing the ears, kicks in the butts. Kids are free to do what they like. Run around the classroom, intimidating other kids, rebuffing the teachers. That's how we educate our offspring. Very refreshing to some, very frustrating for most. Has the rod been replaced by friendly talks or drugs? Educational institutes unable to control asocial, disturbing, violent behavior in my eyes are a failure. Of course the whole idea of having a group of children with totally different characters and learning abilities together and led by only one teacher is an impossible situation. Instead of drugging or beating the critters, appointing more teachers could be a solution.
chotto at 12:33 AM JST - 6th June

No smoke without fire.

I often wonder what her mother could've been, had she not joined the Royal Family. tbh, I only think that her, the Emporer and Empress are the only sane ones of the lot. The rest are under the IHA's spell.
cleo at 12:59 AM JST - 6th June

Step 1 - identify the rowdy brats.

There are no rowdy brats, just normal, boisterous boys.

presto345 -

Are you suggesting that Masako should give Aiko a slap on the wrist, box her ears, kick her butt and send her off to school? Sans the violence, I tend to agree with you. A mountain is being made out of a molehill.

Gakushuin, by the way, is not some inner-city school where kids run around the classroom, intimidate other kids, rebuff the teachers and otherwise engage in asocial, disturbing, violent behaviour. What is disturbing is the fact that little Aiko is apparently unable to cope with the kind of normal behaviour normally exhibited by normal little boys.
sf2k at 04:34 AM JST - 6th June

so all the kids should be on meds because all of them are having fun and ignoring Aiko because she's being a tool. This will work wonders for her at school! I'm sure the threat of putting your children on meds will go over really well.

I thought the meds used in ADD/ADHD are illegal in Japan but not in other countries?