TOKYO, March 28, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Japan's ancient imperial family will launch a YouTube account next week, the government said Friday, in the latest attempt at public outreach by the tradition-bound monarchy.

Last year the royals made their social media debut with an Instagram account which now has nearly two million followers.

Its posts show Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their family meeting foreign dignitaries, visiting victims of natural disasters or checking out prized art exhibits.

From Tuesday the family will also publish videos on YouTube, a spokesman at the Imperial Household Agency told AFP.

Naruhito, 65, ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019 after his father became the first emperor to abdicate in over two centuries.

The monarchy holds no political power under Japan's post-war constitution, instead acting as symbolic figureheads.

Although the family remain deeply adored and respected, especially among older citizens, they also face huge pressure to meet exacting standards of behaviour and have sometimes become the target of online vitriol.

The emperor's brother Prince Akishino said last year that his family had been targeted by "bullying-like" messages.

When his daughter Mako married her college sweetheart in 2021, reports appeared in Japanese media about money troubles faced by his mother, a scandal seen as damaging to the royal family.

The couple opted not to have a public wedding ceremony and left Japan to live in the United States.