Princess Mako, niece of Emperor Naruhito of Japan, will soon marry her commoner fiance, despite a financial dispute involving the latter’s mother for years. The couple also plan to live in the United States.
The news made the headlines of the Japanese press. Mako and her fiancé Kei Komuro plan to get married by the end of the year but have decided to skip ritual ceremonies in the imperial tradition. An extremely rare choice in Japan.
The couple also intend to refuse compensation of up to 150 million yen (more than 1.1 million euros), usually paid to women giving up their imperial title by marrying a commoner, according to local media. This information has not yet been officially confirmed but continues to make the headlines.
The Imperial Household Agency is planning to make the rare decision to skip traditional marriage ceremonies for Princess Mako and Kei Komuro given the financial troubles for Komuro’s family. https://t.co/hK1hiaI30C
– The Japan Times (@japantimes) September 1, 2021
Aged 29, the daughter of Naruhito’s younger brother, Prince Fumihito of Akishino, announced in 2017 her engagement to Kei Komuro, also 29, a lawyer she had met at university. Their nuptials had been postponed to 2018, officially due to a lack of time from the Imperial House to prepare the imposing traditional ceremonies around this wedding.
But this postponement occurred especially when a financial dispute between Mr. Komuro’s mother and her former fiancé was causing a stir in the Japanese press. Ms. Komuro’s former companion accuses her of not having repaid her more than 4 million yen (approximately 30,000 euros), a sum she allegedly borrowed from him to finance part of her son’s studies.
A situation reminiscent of that of Meghan and Harry
This quarrel, which is still not settled, caused a scandal in Japan, where irreproachable behavior is expected from members of the imperial family. Kei Komuro moved to the United States in 2018 to pursue his law studies, a move that was seen in Japan as an attempt to ease the pressure.
Prince Fumihito of Akishino had said last year that he was personally in favor of his daughter’s marriage plan, but felt that she had to win the support of Japanese public opinion first.
All things considered, the tribulations of Princess Mako and her fiancé are reminiscent of the journey of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, who left in 2020 the British royal house with which they quarreled, and who live now in California.
Mako’s little brother Prince Hisahito, 14, is currently the only heir to the imperial throne in Japan after his father. Because the Imperial House recognizes only the paternal filiation, and the women, including the daughters of the sovereign, do not have the right to reign.
