TOKYO (AP) – Japanese princess Mako married a commoner and lost her royal status on Tuesday in a wedding that has divided public opinion after a three-year delay sparked by a financial controversy surrounding her new mother-in-law.
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Mako and Kei Komuro’s marriage certificate was presented Tuesday morning by a palace official and was already official, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
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Mako, who is no longer part of the royal family, took her husband’s surname and became Mako Komuro, the first time she has had a surname. In the Japanese imperial family, only males are given a family name, while females only have titles and must leave if they marry commoners.
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This example of pre-war paternalism, which still persists in the imperial family, is also reflected in Japanese gender policies, which many call outdated, such as a law that requires married couples to use only one last name, almost always the last name. of the husband.
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The newlyweds were scheduled to make statements at an afternoon press conference, but would only give written answers to questions because Mako had expressed fear and discomfort about what might be asked, the agency said.
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Mako is recovering from what palace doctors described this month as a form of post-traumatic stress disorder she suffered after seeing negative media coverage of her marriage, especially the attacks on Komuro.
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There would be no wedding banquet and no other marriage rituals were performed for the couple. Their marriage was not celebrated by many, according to the agency.
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Mako, who turned 30 three days before the wedding, is the niece of Emperor Naruhito. She and Komuro were classmates at Tokyo International Christian University when they announced in September 2017 that they intended to get married the following year. However, two months later the financial dispute arose and the wedding was called off.
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The conflict revolved around whether the money that Komuro’s mother received from her ex-fiance had been a loan or a gift. Mako’s father asked Komuro to clarify the matter and he wrote a statement defending himself, but it was not yet clear whether the dispute had been fully resolved.
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Komuro, 30, left for New York in 2018 to study law and did not return to Japan until last month. Her long, ponytail hair was perceived as a daring decision for someone who was to marry a princess in the traditional imperial family, and it only increased criticism.
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Mako also gave up the 140 million yen ($ 1.23 million) dowry he was entitled to for leaving the imperial family, according to palace officials. She is the first member of the imperial family since World War II who does not receive the money when she marries a commoner, and she decided to do so because of criticism for her wedding to a man who some considered inappropriate for the princess.
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Majo left the palace on Tuesday morning wearing a light blue dress and a bouquet of flowers. Before the family residence he bowed to his parents, Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, and his sister Kako, and then the sisters embraced.
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The rules of the imperial household allow only male succession and require women to renounce their royal status when marrying a commoner, which has reduced the number of family members and heirs to the throne.
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After Naruhito, only Akishino and his son, Prince Hashito, remain in the line of succession. A government-appointed committee of experts studies stable monarchical succession, but conservatives still reject female succession or allowing women to lead the imperial family.
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