Princess Mako, the nephew of Emperor Naruhito, got married today (26th) without an official celebration despite opposition from public opinion in Japan.
The Imperial Household Agency, which is in charge of the affairs of the Japanese royal family, submitted a marriage registration form for Princess Mako and her college classmate, Kei Komuro, to the competent local government on the same day, NHK and other Japanese media reported.
Marco took her husband’s surname and changed her first name to ‘Gumuro Mako’, so the marriage ceremony was virtually completed without an official celebration and just paperwork.
Mako and Komuro, who became husband, held a press conference this afternoon with her husband Komuro and said, “I have been trying to fulfill my duties as an imperial family as preciously as possible. I sincerely thank those who have been with me.”
Princess Mako is the eldest granddaughter of the Emperor Akihito and his wife, and the daughter of Fumihito, the younger brother of the current Emperor Naruhito.
Mako and Komuro announced their engagement in September 2017, and at that time they were planning to get married in November 2018.
However, after the announcement of the engagement, several Japanese media reported that Komuro’s mother was involved in financial problems, and the marriage was delayed.
As various suspicions arose after that, in an Internet survey conducted last month by the Asahi Shimbun-affiliated weekly Aera, 93% of respondents said that they had no intention of blessing the couple’s marriage.
Mako said that she can receive a lump sum payment of 1.6 billion won for ‘dignity maintenance’, which is paid when a female royal family marries an ordinary person, but she will not be conscious of public opinion.
Japanese media reported that Mako, who left the royal family with her marriage today, will be preparing to move to the United States soon after living with her husband Komuro in an apartment in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.
[사진 출처 : 연합뉴스]
