Japan crown prince says royals should refute extreme attacks

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Crown Prince Akishino, the emperor’s younger brother, has complained about harsh criticism of his daughter’s recent marriage and suggested that the imperial family should be allowed to refute false and extreme attacks. Currently, members of the family are generally expected to stoically weather any criticism with little public complaint. The crown prince’s daughter, former Princess Mako, married a commoner last month without a traditional wedding celebration, in part because of public criticism of a financial dispute involving the groom’s mother. Akishino said at a news conference marking his birthday on Tuesday that some comments on social media “were horrible.”