Riyaz ul Khaliq
01 October 2021•Update: 02 October 2021
ANKARA
Japan’s imperial family on Friday announced that the emperor’s niece will marry her fiance, an outsider, this month and give up her royal status.
The Imperial Household Agency said Princess Mako will wed Kei Komuro on Oct. 26, Kyodo News reported.
The agency also revealed that Mako has been “diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder caused by what is claimed to be mental abuse,” the report said, referring to the excessive media coverage around the princess and Komuro’s family in the past few years.
Mako is the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito, younger brother of Emperor Naruhito.
The couple, both 29, first met in 2012 at the International Christian University in Tokyo. They were unofficially engaged in 2017 but the marriage was postponed due to a financial dispute involving Komuro’s mother.
The wedding is expected to be held without the related ritual ceremonies, making Mako the first female member of the royal family to skip the traditions after World War II.
By marrying an outsider, Mako will lose her royal status but is entitled to a lump sum payment of about $1.3 million from the imperial family.
However, the princess has indicated she will not take the money, making her the first Japanese royal to forego such an offer.
The couple will register their marriage in Tokyo before moving to the US, where Komuro works for a law firm.
As Japan’s imperial family members do not have passports, Mako will have to register herself as a member of the Komuro family to apply for a passport after the marriage, the report said.
