University of Tokyo professor's post related to the imperial family draws criticism, Japan Educational Society's ethics committee considers response

Yuki Honda, a professor at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Education, posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account on the 1st, quoting articles related to the imperial family and saying, ``I feel the horror of genetic factors.'' There has been a series of criticisms, including that it is a discriminatory expression, and the Japan Educational Society, of which Honda is the president, has said that its ethics committee is considering a response.

In response to an interview with the Asahi Shimbun, Mr. Honda said through the academic conference, ``I decline requests for interviews.''

Mr. Honda cited and reposted a Tokyo Shimbun article that reported that royal family expenses would increase due to the revision of the Imperial House Law, as well as posts that attached photos of specific members of the imperial family. At that time, he posted, ``Every time I see these people, I feel the horror of genetic factors. Increased exposure may have the opposite effect.''

In response, a number of comments were raised on social media, including, ``Is this discrimination based on genetics?'' ``Is it okay to evaluate human worth based on lineage and genetics rather than words and actions?'' and ``This could be slanderous.''

In response to an interview with the Asahi Shimbun, the Japan Educational Society's secretariat said, ``We are aware of the post and the criticism that has been received regarding it.'' The statement added that ``the ethics committee is currently considering how to respond.''

The University of Tokyo's Communication Strategy Division responded, ``We are aware of the posting.At our university, we have established that ``members must respect human rights and act with high ethical standards.''We will strive to make everyone aware of the importance of respecting human rights and compliance.''

◇

Mr. Honda serves as a commentator for Asahi Shimbun's digital edition, ``Comment Plus.'' Our head office has established a human rights policy that makes respect for human rights the basic principle, and we ask commentators to understand and put this policy into practice.