Valdis Bērziņš, “Latvijas Avīze”, JSC “Latvijas Mediji”
Former Japanese Princess Mako, the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, married a simple boy, Kei Komuro, forgoing compensation of millions of yen for leaving the imperial family.
–
The news
After Pavluts did not take responsibility for the tragedies of Zolitude and the whole government fell. Will history repeat itself?
2 hours
–
The news
Hospital finds vaccine vaccinated Covid-19 inpatients
22 hours
–
Cocktail
Change can affect anyone. This time – you too! Horoscopes for October 28
14 hours
–
The marriage of the former princess, which breaks the centuries-old tradition, has also divided Japanese society. The financial scandal involving Mako’s mother-in-law caused additional tension and the postponement of the wedding for three years. The wedding took place quietly on Tuesday without the traditional celebration ceremony, wedding banquet and other rituals.
As the representative of the Imperial Chancellery admitted, many people did not welcome this marriage. After marriage to Kei Komuro, the young wife lost her imperial status but received her husband’s surname. Now, for the first time, she will have a surname, as the majority of Japanese women give up their surname after marriage, as the law requires the couple to have only one surname.
“I Kei is an invaluable person. Marriage was our choice to live according to our hearts, ”Mako said in a written statement. “I love Mako and I want to live life with someone I love,” Komuro said. “I hope Maco and I have a nice family and I will do my best to support him,” he added.
Mako gave up the 140 million yen ($ 1.23 million) she would be entitled to for leaving the imperial family. According to Japanese media, she is the first member of the imperial family since World War II to choose to give up compensation because her marriage was criticized.
Mako, who was 30 years old a few days before marriage, is the niece of Emperor Naruhito of Japan. She and Komuro were fellow students at Tokyo International Christian University. In September 2017, they announced that they were going to get married next year, but two months later, a financial dispute broke out in which Komuro’s mother was involved and the wedding was postponed.
According to the doctors of the imperial palace, Mako is recovering from the traumatic stress caused by getting acquainted with the negative portrayal of their marriage in the media, especially about the attacks in Komuro. Mako is not the first member of an imperial family whose mental health has suffered from attacks inside and outside the imperial residence.
Her grandmother, Empress Michiko, the wife of former Emperor Akihito and the first representative of the common people, who married a monarch in Japan’s modern history, collapsed and temporarily lost her voice in 1993 after a media mockery. Journalists were provided with written answers to previous questions, including on Comuro’s financial matters.
“We feel humiliated and upset because the fake information is portrayed as facts and unfounded stories are spread,” Mako said in a written response.
The dispute is whether the amount of money the Komuro mother once received from her ex-fiancé should be considered a loan or a gift. Mako’s father asked Komuro to explain it. Komuro stated in a written statement that he was not involved in the dispute, but that it was still unclear whether the conflict had been fully resolved.
Komuro went to New York in 2018 to study law and returned to Japan only in September this year. The couple plans to go to New York and start a new life.
“We will have other difficulties in starting a new life, but we will go together as we have done in the past,” Mako said, thanking each of their supporters.
Themes
–
