The Japanese government has been mocked for doctoring an official photograph to make the cabinet look marginally more tidy.

Pictures taken by local media showed Shigeru Ishiba, Japan’s new prime minister, and the defence minister with the ends of their white shirts sticking out underneath their suits.

But an official photo issued by the prime minister’s office on Thursday showed everything in order.

After careful observers noticed the subtle changes, the government conceded on Monday that “minor editing was made” to the photograph.

Yoshimasa Hayashi, a government spokesman, said the photo needed editing as it would be “preserved forever as memorabilia” and that “minor editing is customarily performed” on official photos.