Imperial family members, Abe attend wedding banquet

These two look genuinely happy together, and I hope the Crown Prince's toast comes true.

Love her smile.

Abe: plan is almost ready for the 10% GST, those nasty commomers will pay us more

Princess: you are a commoner too and under our foot, off with his head!

A beautiful picture, very joyful. Congratulations.

Great photo! Congratulations to Princess Ayako and Moriya san for a long and joyous marriage. I can only dream about being a guest at this royal banquet. Even famous non drinker PM Abe will drink a very small glass of champagne for this, Good for him!

Some people will have difficulties when dna database will be used to check up the real parenting; or will be relieved. lol

Good to see happy couples.

I do admit that congratulations are in order when people tie the knot. However, not so (no pun intended) when it involves our tax paying yen. Now, using that money for helping its citizens, especially when many of them are trying to make ends meat is definitely a big step for its people and country.

I'd be smiling, too, if I'd been given 100 million yen of taxpayers' money.

This AM's news reported this too, and the subtitles had written her name as, Ayako-san!

I bet she feels pretty good! Best of luck to the new couple, I sincerely hope they can live privately from now on!

I'm shocked to see that the posts expressing positive sentiments about the couple have been voted down. I think that instead of the princess losing her royal title (unbelievable that such a thing should happen in our modern society), the husband should have been granted a title instead. The photograph is lovely and seems to affirm my belief that somehow royals just have that something extra in their DNA which makes them glow. You'd be hard-pressed to find a woman more beautiful than Ayako, radiant in the photo on her wedding day!

Chico3

using that money for helping its citizens, especially when many of them are trying to make ends meat is definitely a big step for its people and country

I appreciate Egypt left Pyramids and did not spend all their money only for food and shelters. I appreciate Japan has been keeping this Royal tradition, which goes back to the prehistoric myths of Kojiki and Nihonshoki. I do not mind some of my tax money is spent for this. Food and shelters are necessary to live, but unlike other animals, humans spend results of their labors for something more than food and shelters, building and preserving cultures.