Weddings are supposed not to be a day filled with lust and sorrow, but of pure joy and love.
But not so for Japan’s Princess Mako, who has today renounced her royal title after going against tradition to marry her university sweetheart.
The issue has arisen because her long-term boyfriend Kei Komuro, 30, a lawyer with a New York law firm whom she met at Tokyo’s International Christian University almost a decade ago, is a commoner.
Mako, 30, the eldest child of Crown Prince Fumihito (and niece of reigning Emperor Naruhito), has married him today. She has chosen love over her title, duties, and official position within the family.
Japan’s strict succession laws prohibit women from ascending to ChrysanthemumThrone. They also force them to give their titles up if they marry commoners.
Japan’s shockwaves have been caused by the wedding. Japan is a country that places great pressure on its royal family to adhere to tradition and follow strict standards of behavior, with each move closely scrutinised.
It is a dramatic, but slow-burning departure for the princess, a Leicester University graduate who worked at Coventry Museums and who was happy to conform in her early years.

Mako, the eldest child of Crown Prince Fumihito’s and the niece of Emperor Naruhito is the choice between love and her duties as a royal. Pictured, Mako, right, with her parents and younger sister Kako at t Akasaka Palace in Tokyo in 1999

High profile: Princess Mako of Japan, right, the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito, donned a traditional Jūnihitoe as she took part in a procession through Tokyo’s Imperial Palace to mark her uncle’s formal ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019

Weddings are supposed not to be a time of sorrow but love. Japan’s Princess Mako has been officially removed from the royal family after she married her university sweetheart. Pictured: The newlyweds at a Tokyo press conference to announce their low-key civil services.
Mako was born on October 23, 1991. He is the oldest child Fumihito Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko. They were college sweethearts like Mako or Komuro.
Despite the fact that she was not legally allowed to inherit the throne, the birth of the first granddaughter to Empress Michiko and then-Emperor Akihito was covered extensively by the media.
The proud father said this after he had seen his newborn daughter. She looks just like me.
Mako was followed by her sister Kako three more years later. The two were then joined by Hisahito in 2006. He was the first male to be born into the imperial clan since 1965.
The 1947 Imperial Household Law stipulates that only males from the family’s male line can ascend the throne. This means that, while Emperor Naruhito has Aiko, a daughter of his son, the Crown Prince Fumihito takes precedence.
Similarly the Crown Prince’s daughters, Mako and Kako, 26, will be passed over in favour of his son Prince Hisahito, 15.

Princess Kiko of Akishino with her daughter Princess Mako, August 7, 1992 in Karuizawa (Nagano, Japan).

A young Princess Mako from Akishino is seen at the Hayama Imperial Villa, January 26, 1996, in Hayama, Kanagawa.

Japanese Prince Hisahito (C), son of Princess Akishino, and Princess Kiko, is seen playing with his sisters Princess Mako and Princess Kako (R), at his Tokyo residence on 31 August 2007.

Princess Mako, in blue in 2005, with members of her royal family, including her parents (backrow), uncle, centre, who is now Emperor, and younger sibling in yellow
There is only one other man – the Emperor’s 85-year-old uncle, Prince Hitachi – who is eligible for the throne under current rules.
The line of succession will be broken if the young Prince Hisahito has no male children. This is prompting debate about changes to the rules. Polls show that the Japanese public supports women being allowed to rule.
Traditionalists are strongly against the idea. However, Japan has had up to eight empresses in its past.
Gosakuramachi was the last to sit on the throne approximately 250 years ago.
Although Mako was raised in royal tradition and attended Gakushuin’s elite school until the end of high school graduation, she decided to break with tradition and attend Tokyo’s International Christian University instead.
Komuro met her at a meeting with students who plan to travel abroad in 2012. Komuro was the only child of a single mother and had a less fortunate start in life. She spent some time working as a tourist promoter near Tokyo to make money.
Mako studied for a year at Edinburgh University and then reportedly spent some time in Dublin.
She graduated in 2014 with a degree from art and cultural studies and then went on to receive a master’s in Art Museum and Gallery Studies from the University of Leicester.
Princess Mako completed a placement at Coventry Museums, and a collections-based research at New Walk Museum. This was part of her degree programme.
Princess Mako, speaking in Japanese at a press event marking the end of her year of taught Master’s degree, said that her time at University of Leicester was a ‘wonderful experience’.

Princess Mako (R), and Princess Kako, daughters of Japanese Prince Akishino, arrive at the Aiku hospital to meet their mother Princess Kiko and their baby, 06 September 2006.

Princess Mako, Akishino, poses for photos before she attends the graduation ceremony of the International Christian University in Mitaka (Tokyo, Japan), March 26, 2014.

End of the line: Princess Mako, who met Kei Komuro while studying at International Christian University in ICU, is set to marry next January after she postponed their wedding in 2018. Picture of the princess in 2011.

Japan’s Princess Mako stands on a bulletproofed balcony of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, to greet the well-wishers who have gathered at the palace compound to celebrate Emperor Akihito’s 78th Birthday in 2011.
Dr Suzanne Macleod, Head School of Museum Studies, said at the time that she and her colleagues felt a strong connection with Japan’s cultural profession. Many of our students go on to become curators and curators in Japan.
“She has been a pleasure and a joy to teach. She has worked extremely hard and should feel proud of her achievements.”
Mako and Komuro were secretly engaged before they announced their engagement in September 2017. Shortly thereafter, it was announced that the pair would marry in November 2018.
Trouble began a few months after Mako and Komuro announced their engagement. In 2017, tabloids reported on a financial dispute between Komuro’s mother and Mako’s former fiancee. The man claimed Komuro and Mako had failed in a $35,000 debt repayment.

Princess Mako from Akishino speaks with guests at the Autumn Garden Party in Akasaka Imperial Garden on November 9, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan

Princess Mako (in blue) has taken on a more active role within the family in the months since her uncle was made Emperor and her father heir to the throne in May. Pictured (l–r) Princess Kako (24), and Princess Mako (24), with their parents Crown Princess Kiko, and Crown Prince Fumihito (36).

Princess Mako (of Akishino) and Princess Kako (of Akishino) arrive at Shinhama Kamoba (“Shinhama Imperial Wild Duck Preserve”) on December 17, 2019 in Ichikawa.
According to some reports, Komuro was partially funded by his fiancée.
Komuro later claimed that the money was a gift, and not a loan. Komuro submitted a 24-page explanation in 2021 and later said he would settle.
After graduating from law school, he moved to New York to study at Fordham University. He didn’t return to New York until September 2018. He passed the bar exam in July and his results were due in December.
Mako began to assume a more prominent role within the royal family. In 2019 she donned a traditional Jūnihitoe as she took part in a procession through Tokyo’s Imperial Palace to mark her uncle’s formal ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne.
She also accepted official engagements that would have fallen to her parents, including a July visit to South America.
She will now be leaving everything behind and join Komuro to start a new life in New York. They will do this without any royalties.
Palace officials stated that Mako also declined the 140 million yen ($1.23million) dowry she was entitled to for leaving the imperial family.
She is the first member of an imperial family to not receive the payment despite marrying a non-imperial man since World War II. This is due to criticisms she received for marrying someone some consider unfit to be a princess.

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito, seated at third from left, Empress Masako, at third from right, pose together with their family members for a photo of the family, including Mako (standing, far right).
Mako read a prepared statement and said she was happy to marry Kei. She also described Kei as ‘irreplaceable,’ and added that ‘our marriage is a necessary thing for us to be in a position to protect our hearts.
She also criticised news reports she saw during their engagement, saying they spread false information and ’one-sided gossips’. She claimed that it had left her feeling’sadness and pain’.
The royal household revealed that she suffers from PTSD.
Kei also apologised but said that he loved Mako and would support her throughout their life together.
“I love Mako.” He said, ‘We only have one life and I want it to be with the one we love. “I feel very sad that Mako has suffered from mental and physical problems because of the false allegations.
Mako did not have to answer any questions. However, the couple did send a page of responses to five pre-selected queries. One person asked Mako about Mako’s condition. She replied, “Not good.”