TOKYO – A Japanese princess, who relinquished the throne to marry a commoner she met at university, left the country on Sunday to settle in New York, United States.
The couple simply say they seek happiness like all newlyweds and want to live away from the spotlight leaving behind a nation unfavorable to their love.
As if to prove them right, the Japanese media broadcast live the departure of former Princess Mako Komuro and her husband Kei Komuro, filming and photographing their boarding at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.
Kei Komuro, a graduate of Fordham University law school, landed a job with a New York firm. He has yet to pass the bar exam, however, which has earned him further attacks in the Japanese media, although it is quite normal to take the exam a few times again.
“I love Mako,” he told reporters last month after formalizing their marriage in Tokyo. The 30-year-old couple celebrated their union without a large traditional banquet or other usual ceremonies or rituals.
“I want to live the only life I have with the person I love,” he added.
While Japan may seem very modern in many ways, the values linked to family relationships and the status of women are in a way outdated and rooted in the feudal past.
This reality has been made evident by the popular reaction to the announcement of the marriage. Some Japanese felt they had a say in this marriage because the taxpayers financially support the imperial system.
Other princesses have married commoners in the past and left the royal palace, but Mako’s departure is the first to garner so much attention and anger among the population, as well as on social media. and in the tabloids.
The debates span everything from the couple’s financial ability to live in Manhattan to how much money Kei Komuro could earn if the former princess eventually had to financially support her spouse.
Mako is the niece of Emperor Naruhito, who also married a commoner named Masako. This one moreover often suffered mentally inside the cloistered and rigid life of the imperial family.
The negative media coverage surrounding Mako’s marriage caused him, according to doctors, a form of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Former Emperor Akihito, the father of the current Emperor, was the first to marry a commoner. His father was the ruling Emperor of Japan when the country was defeated in World War II.
The Imperial Family does not hold any political power, but represents a symbol of the nation and participates in protocol events and visits regions affected by disasters, for example. It remains relatively popular in public opinion.
Only men can inherit the chrysanthemum throne. Mako is the daughter of the Emperor’s younger brother. His 15-year-old brother is already identified as a possible emperor.
When Kei Komuro returned from the United States in September, the couple found themselves reunited for the first time in three years. The lovers met a decade ago while studying at Tokyo International Christian University.
When announcing the wedding publicly, the former princess, who is also a museum curator, said her decision was clear.
“He’s someone I can’t be separated from,” she said. This marriage was necessary to allow us to continue our life together and to remain faithful to our hearts. ”
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