The 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 imperial family made its social media debut with an Instagram account that now has nearly 2 million followers.

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

From Tuesday, the family will also publish videos on YouTube, a spokesperson at the Imperial Household Agency said.

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 remains deeply adored and respected, especially among older citizens, it also faces huge pressure to meet exacting standards of behavior and have sometimes become the target of online vitriol.

The emperor's brother, Crown 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 imperial family.

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