Princess Mako of Japan: the woman who gave up royal status to marry a commoner

Princess Mako of Japan finally married her college sweetheart Kei Komuro on Tuesday, although the ceremony was held very quietly after years of controversy.

Since announcing their engagement in 2017, the couple became a target of tabloids that spoke of the financial difficulties of Komuro’s commoner family. But finally, “the marriage papers were completed and accepted,” an official of the imperial house told AFP.

Television images showed Emperor Naruhito’s princess and niece leaving the imperial residence of Akasaka. Holding a bouquet of pale pink flowers, Mako said goodbye with a bow from her parents and the press and a hug from her sister.

“Kei is an irreplaceable being”, Mako said in a statement broadcast live on television.

“I love Mako,” her husband proclaimed in turn, adding that “from now on I want to be next to the love of my life.”

In the Japanese imperial family, women cannot access the Chrysanthemum Throne and lose their title when they marry a commoner.

But for the first time in post-war Japanese history, the 30-year-old princess and her fiancé, the same age and a lawyer at an American firm, were married without the traditional ritual.

What’s more, Mako gave up a large sum customarily offered to the women of the imperial family on the occasion of their wedding.

Popular approval

When the couple got engaged four years ago, it was all shy smiles. Komuro described Mako as “the moon” who guarded him discreetly and she compared her smile to the sun.

But when the press began delving into Komuro’s past, reports surfaced that his mother failed to repay a 4 million yen ($ 35,000) loan to a former fiancé.

The dispute, still unresolved, caused a scandal in Japan, where impeccable behavior is expected from members of the imperial family.

So much media attention caused complex post-traumatic stress to Mako, the imperial agency recently acknowledged.

The couple delayed their marriage and Komuro moved to New York to study law in 2018, a decision interpreted as an attempt to escape the press.

The recent graduate returned to Japan last month, sporting a new hairstyle with a small ponytail. “There are different opinions about my marriage to Kei,” Mako acknowledged on Tuesday.

“I would like to thank those who care about me and those who have always supported Kei and me, without listening to the unfounded rumors,” added the princess, who said she felt “fear, sadness and pain” for the versions.

Despite this bad press, in a poll by the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, half of those polled approved the link, against 33% against it.

And around the imperial residence, passersby looked favorably on him. “The most important thing is that she is happy,” said Machiko Yoshimoto, in her 60s. “It would have been better to have a more festive atmosphere, instead of this difficult situation that is sad and unfortunate”said Shigehiro Hashimoto, 54.

¿Traslado a EE.UU.?

In Mako and Kei’s link, “there will be no wedding ceremony, banquet or other rituals, and there will be no payment” to the bride, The imperial agency had indicated this month, referring to the conventional gift of 153 million yen (1.35 million dollars).

It is speculated that the couple plan to move to the United States, prompting comparisons against another royal couple also under heavy media pressure: Prince Harry of England and his wife Meghan Markle.

It is not clear if the already ex-Princess Mako will work there, although qualifications are not lacking. He studied Art and Cultural Heritage at Tokyo International Christian University, where he met Komuro, and spent a year in Edinburgh.

He also has an MA in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester (UK).

The Japanese throne can only be inherited by male members of the family. Children of women who have married commoners are excluded from the line of succession.

There have been debates about changing these rules, even a government panel addressed the issue, but the road seems long in the face of strong opposition from traditionalists, who reject the possibility of a woman on the throne. (E)