The Japanese imperial family published for the first time on Instagram a stream of posts today, Monday, hoping to shed its isolated image and connect with young people on social media.

The Imperial Household Agency, a government agency responsible for family affairs, posted nearly 60 photos and five videos showing public appearances of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako over the past three months.

The agency said it wants the public to have a better understanding of the official duties of the family, and that Instagram was chosen because of its popularity among young people.

By Monday evening, their verified account Kunaicho_jp had more than 270,000 followers.

The first photo posted showed the imperial couple sitting on a couch with their 22-year-old daughter Princess Aiko, all smiling while celebrating the New Year's Day. Other posts also included meetings of the imperial couple with senior foreign figures, including the Crown Prince of Brunei Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah and his wife.

A video of Naruhito addressing well-wishers during his birthday celebrations on February 23 garnered more than 21,000 views in less than one day.

So far, the photos are limited to official family duties and do not include private or candid moments. The agency said it is considering adding activities of other members of the royal family.

Koki Yuniura, a 21-year-old student, said: "It's nice to be able to see a little of their activities because we hardly know what they do." "It's good that they seem a little closer to us."

Yukino Yoshiura, also a student, said she was excited to see more posts about Princess Aiko. She said: "Aiko-sama is close to our age and just graduated from university, so I am very happy because I was able to see her photos," while addressing the princess with the respectful honorific "sama".

However, both said they do not plan to follow the royal family's account on Instagram.

The Japanese imperial family's first appearance on social media comes 15 years after the British royal family joined X, formerly Twitter, in 2009.

Daniela Kothe, an American student, said: "Actually, I assumed they already had one. So I'm surprised they're making one now." She said the content looks "very clean in PR terms," but that was not necessarily a negative thing.

Naruhito's father, Emperor Emeritus Akihito – who abdicated the throne in 2019 – and his wife were very popular during their reign. But currently, royal family fans mostly belong to older generations.

Palace officials were considering using social media to attract more people interested in the family and its activities. Last year, the agency formed a team of experts to study the effects of social media use on the imperial family.

The agency became cautious after Emperor's niece Mako Komuro and her husband from the public faced severe backlash on social media and in popular newspapers over concerns about the financial status of her mother-in-law, causing the delay of her marriage. She also refused to receive a dowry because the public did not fully celebrate her marriage.

The former princess said she suffered at that time from psychological shock due to media defamation, including online.

Experts say social media can help bring the royal family closer to the people and give the agency the ability to control the narrative and respond to misinformation, but concerns remain about how the world's oldest monarchy can be friendly without losing its dignity or avoiding outbursts.

The account follows no one and does not interact with the audience. Users cannot comment on posts and can only press the "like" button.

Those who want to send messages to the imperial family must use the official website.