The princess’s departure renewed the debate about the reduction of the imperial family: women are not allowed to ascend to the Japanese throne.
The Japanese princess Mako married a commoner, renouncing her status as a member of the imperial family and inheritance. With her husband, whom she met at the university, she plans to live in a one-room apartment in New York. The princess’s decision did not receive approval in Japanese society. Correspondent.net tells the details.
Rebel princess
Princess Mako, the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Akishino of Japan and granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, met her future husband Kei Komuro six years ago. They studied together at the International Christian University in Tokyo. The wedding was supposed to take place back in 2018, but it had to be postponed due to the scandal.
The Japanese press began to cover the conflict between Kei Komuro’s mother and her ex-fiancé, who accused her of borrowing large sums from him and not returning the money to him. Such feuds have sparked outrage among the Japanese, whose culture requires impeccable behavior on the part of the imperial family and those who revolve around it.
In addition to this altercation, the national media also conducted a thorough scrutiny of Kei Komuro’s personal life, finding allegations of harassment while in high school. In addition, the press discussed his hairstyle – the Japanese considered Komuro’s hair too long.
The scandal and pressure reached such a level that because of them the groom was forced to leave Japan and leave for the United States, of which he is a citizen, in order to continue studying law there. He returned only in September of this year.
This story caused the princess “fear, sadness and pain.” “There are different opinions about my marriage to Kay. I would like to thank those who were worried about me and those who have always supported us, Kay and me, without listening to unfounded rumors,” Mako explained at her press conference.
However, the rumors spread by the national press left their mark. So strong that Princess Mako developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to media coverage of her romantic relationship, which was announced three weeks before the wedding.
It is not yet clear what profession Princess Mako will pursue in the United States. She also attended University College Dublin on condition of relative anonymity.
After the International Christian University, Mako studied at the University of Leicester in London, where she received a master’s degree in museology. At this time, the relationship with Kay took place remotely.
On October 26 in the evening, the princess nevertheless married her chosen one and lost her title. Now she is an ordinary Japanese woman named Mako Komuro – her name will be excluded from the imperial lineage. This is the case with all female apostates from the imperial family, while the same rules do not apply to men.
There was no wedding as such – the newlyweds abandoned traditional celebrations and even the payment that is due to imperial persons in case of loss of status, which is about $ 1.36 million.So, Mako became the first woman from the imperial family in post-war Japan, who refused not only from crown, but also from the allowance.
Kei Komuro and Former Princess Mako / Getty
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On the eve of the princess’s wedding in Tokyo, a rally of opponents of this marriage took place. The procession was attended by about 130 people with placards “Prevent deception” and “Protect the imperial family.”
In a post-marriage press conference, the former Princess Mako said she apologized for the worries surrounding her marriage, stressing that Kei Komuro is “an integral part” of her life and their marriage is “a necessary decision.”
Kei Komuro also apologized to everyone who was dissatisfied with their marriage, thanked those who, despite everything, supported their intention to get married, and also assured that he would do his best to settle the issue with his mother’s debts.
The former princess and her husband limited themselves to reading out prepared statements. The journalists did not ask them any questions. As noted, this format was chosen so as not to subject Mako Komuro to additional stress.
Conservative Japanese society believes that the crown prince, despite public support for the free choice of his daughter, is in fact negative about this marriage.
The fact is that the departure of Mako renewed the debate about the reduction of the imperial family: women do not have the right to ascend to the Japanese throne, the transfer of power takes place only through the male line. This limits the number of possible future monarchs and leaves a special imprint on the princess’s decision.
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