Jun 4 11:24 AM US/Eastern
(AP) - TOKYO, June 5 (Kyodo)—The Imperial Household Agency has asked publisher Shinchosha for an apology and correction after a weekly magazine article alleged that the agency had suggested to Princess Aiko's school that it add medication to the school meals of unruly boys to calm them down, which the agency described as a "baseless and malicious" accusation, a senior official of the agency said Friday.
Issei Nomura, grand master of the crown prince's household at the agency, told a regular press conference that the protest was lodged Thursday over an article carried in "Shukan Shincho" weekly magazine, which hit store shelves the same day.
The article claimed that the board of the crown prince's household allegedly recommended that Gakushuin Primary School mix medication for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder into the school meals of unruly boys, as the princess, a third grader, had become reluctant to go to school after encountering the rough behavior of the boys.
"The article alleges officials of the agency suggested (the school) take action in violation of laws relating to medical practitioners and pharmaceutical affairs. It is simply not possible," Nomura said.
Meanwhile, the publisher said, "We have confidence in the credibility of the article as it was written on a solid basis."
Princess Aiko, 8, the only child of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, has been attending only a limited number of classes with her mother since March, according to the agency. In March, Nomura told a regular news conference that the princess had missed school due to strong anxiety and stomachaches after being treated harshly by boys but the school quickly denied that the princess had been directly subjected to rowdy behavior. Motomasa Higashisono, a senior director of the Gakushuin School Corporation, explained shortly after Nomura's news conference that the princess was startled when a boy dashed out of a classroom and it must have reminded her of past rowdy behavior by boys.
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