Earlier this month We reported that a small number of people had taken “salacious” photos with and appeared on statues at Studio Ghibli’s new theme parkand that the posting of those images on social media had reportedly “disturbed a lot of people.”
“Frankly, posting photos like this on social media is very inappropriate,” Aichi Prefecture (where the park is located) Governor Hideaki Ōmura said at the time. “People from adults to children go to Ghibli Park to immerse themselves in the Ghibli world and have fun. Obviously, this action worried a lot of people,” he added, saying that local authorities have since told park staff that “they must firmly stop such actions as soon as they are detected and confirmed.”
“For those who come to the park to do something like this, I would much prefer them not to come at all. Of course, we need to be tougher on this type of behavior. This is basically criminal damage.”
As the Mainichi Shim Bun (above ANN) report, the three officials turned themselves in at the mayor’s office last week, “concerned about the impact of their actions” and “requested a meeting with Ghibli Park’s publicity department.”
“Taking these photos went beyond the level of practical jokes,” they say in a statement ANN). “We’ve all caused a lot of grief. We will try not to cause any mischief in the future either.”
For his part, Ōmura said in a press conference on March 24 that although he originally took legal action against the three, he was ready to accept their apology and “would like this to mark the end of this matter.”
Ghibli Park opened last year after numerous delays, but isn’t quite ready yet; while it sells tickets, and there are three areas to explore (including the home of totoro), two more spaces (including a Mononoke-theme forest) are still under construction and should only be completed in a year or two.
