When Japan’s Princess Mako announced that she was sacrificing her royal title and rights to marry her university sweetheart last year, the world praised her decision to follow her heart. In Japan, royal princesses are required to leave the Imperial Family if they marry a commoner, which would have meant that Princess Mako would be leaving behind a life of privilege and entitlement.
Now, the Princess has announced that her impending marriage to law student Kei Komuro won’t take place as planned this year, as the couple are concerned about their ‘immaturity’. In an official statement they said: ‘We have come to realise the lack of time to make sufficient preparations for various events leading up to our marriage this autumn and our life afterwards. We believe that we have rushed various things too much.’ Instead, the couple will wed in 2020.
Many are speculating that the couple’s decision comes after Princess Mako’s fiancé faced criticism in Japanese tabloids regarding his background. He previously starred as ‘the Prince of the Sea’ in a famous tuna commercial, which has been widely mocked since.
The 2020 date comes a year after the abdication of Princess Mako’s grandfather, Emperor Akihito, who announced his decision to stand down as royal leader on 30 April 2019. Crown Prince Naruhito, Mako’s uncle, will take over the Chrysanthemum Throne.