The Japanese royal family are lined up to join thousands across the world already on social media. The new Instagram account, @kunaicho_jp, is live but set to private ahead of the page's official launch on 1 April.
Kunaicho, or the Imperial Household Agency, is responsible for managing the needs of the royal family.
The account will likely share updates from members of the Japanese royal family, especially Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako as they go about their royal duties.
© GettySince coming of age, the Emperor's daughter Princess Aiko, has been carrying out royal duties alongside her parents. She is set to join the Japanese Red Cross Society after graduating next month, and is currently majoring in Japanese language and literature at Gakushuin University's Faculty of Letters.
Once the Princess graduates, she will assume her new role with the Red Cross as well as continuing official duties with the royal family, so it's likely the 22-year-old will also feature on the new Instagram account.
The family may choose to follow the approach of the British royals' social media use by following charities and platforms that they are closely linked with.
Royals everywhere are keeping up with the generational demand for a social media presence to communicate with their fans and royal watchers from around the world.
Some 13.4 million people follow the main account of the British royal family, @theroyalfamily, with over one million likes on each of the coronation posts from May last year. The account provides regular updates into the official duties of the most senior working royals, namely King Charles and Queen Camilla, as well as the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
The Instagram account for the Prince and Princess of Wales alone has 15.9 million followers, and Meghan Markle is following suit across the pond, having launched her new lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard earlier this month and gaining over half a million followers in its first days.
It's not just British royalty who are social media savvy. Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden use their Instagram account to share adorable behind-the-scenes snaps of their family life as well as their royal engagements.
Queen Consort Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan has 10.2 million followers, and uses her platform to spread awareness of causes close to her heart, as well as interviews and everyday pictures from royal life.
While younger members of the aristocracy like Princess Olympia of Greece use their social media to show the glamorous side of royal life, this new account from the Japanese imperial family will give us a closer look at the lives of the working royals as they go about their official duties.
