The author of a book on Crown Princess Masako criticized a Japanese publishing house Saturday for its decision to cancel a translation of his biography following protests by the government, calling the step a "blatant attack on freedom of speech."
Kodansha Ltd. said late Friday it has canceled plans to publish the translation of "Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne," written by Australian journalist Ben Hills and released by Random House in December.
The tartly worded biography is billed on the cover as the "tragic, true story" of the 43-year-old Crown Princess, a Harvard graduate who abandoned a diplomatic career to marry royalty. The book describes her as a virtual captive of the Imperial Palace who has been bullied by bureaucrats into depression.