Princess Mako of Japan to Marry Commoner This Year... Plans to Move to the U.S. (Summary)

Met as a campus couple at International Christian University in Japan
Married after 5 years of dating
Plan to start their new life in New York, USA

▲Princess Mako (right) and Gomuro Kei

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Princess Mako (29) of the Japanese Imperial Family is scheduled to hold her wedding with her boyfriend Kei Komuro (29) around the end of this year. Princess Mako is the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito Akishino (55), the first in line to the throne and nephew of Emperor Naruhito.

According to NHK and Kyodo News on the 1st, Princess Mako plans to submit a marriage registration form to the relevant local government within this year with her father's consent. However, it is also reported that the submission of the registration form may be postponed until next year due to the impact of COVID-19.

Afterward, Princess Mako is expected to board a flight to the United States with Mr. Komuro. Since Mr. Komuro has secured employment at a law firm located in New York State, USA, the plan is to register their marriage within this year and move to the US together.

Mr. Komuro took the New York State Bar Examination online on August 27-28 local time. The exam results will be announced in December, but he has already secured employment at a local law firm.

Princess Mako and Mr. Komuro were classmates at International Christian University (ICU) in Japan and met as a campus couple. After dating for five years, they announced their engagement in September 2017, but public opinion worsened after the complicated family background of Mr. Komuro was revealed. A scandal involving financial transactions between Mr. Komuro's mother and her fianc?, whom she was meeting with the intention of remarriage, was reported by a Japanese weekly magazine, fueling controversy. Because of this, some speculated that Princess Mako might be seeking the dowry (a fund for maintaining dignity as a former royal family member) she would receive upon marriage.

In response, Princess Mako announced she would postpone the marriage until 2020, and in 2018, Mr. Komuro went to study at Fordham University Law School in New York.

At that time, Princess Mako's father, Fumihito, stated, "It is difficult to hold a wedding that the public does not understand and rejoice in."

To this day, the scandal related to Mr. Komuro's mother has not been completely resolved, and considering the COVID-19 situation, the Japanese Imperial Family is reportedly considering not holding any marriage-related ceremonies.

If Princess Mako marries without a ceremony, Yomiuri Shimbun reported that it would be the first case since the end of the Pacific War in 1945 that a member of the Japanese Imperial Family marries without a formal ceremony.

Meanwhile, according to the Japanese Imperial Household Law, Princess Mako will become a commoner after marriage. Although she could receive a dowry of up to 152.5 million yen (approximately 1.6 billion KRW) for maintaining dignity as a former royal family member upon marriage, Princess Mako has stated that she will not accept it.