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Princess Mako and her boyfriend Kei Komuro smile during a press conference to announce their engagement in Tokyo on Sept 3, 2017. Image: REUTERS file
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Princess Mako's marriage to boyfriend in limbo

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No need to postpone the wedding, just do it like everyone else is doing during the pandemic.

Oh wait, can't, the IJA just HAS to make it a huge affair and spend a ton of money on the planning and production.

How sad!

4 ( +11 / -7 )

Yes, spend more than anyone has ever seen spent on the ceremony. Stimulate the economy, make a lot of people happy to work, and, let's hope, give a couple happiness forever.

-8 ( +2 / -10 )

Being told when and what to do by others, regarding personal matters, doesn’t sound much of a lifestyle to me...

12 ( +16 / -4 )

Those Roman poets, Publius Vergilius Maro. “Omnia vincit amor: quid enim non vinceret ille?” (Love conquers all, for what could Love not conquer?

Well you may ask , is this to be a 'Love's Labour Lost' moment for Princess Mako, a niece of Emperor Naruhito, and her boyfriend Kei Komuro?  

Cupid arrow blocked/wrecked by the ravages of the “novel coronavirus pandemic”  

Reduced to a pasting in time on Zoom, Romeo Romeo where art thou Romeo,

Where’s me hanky?.

Hand on heart, no sarcasm, totally heartfelt, the photo, the lingering telltale gaze proves my point.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

If I had a daughter who was thinking of marrying a guy whose mother was a notorious debt evader, I would definitely oppose the marriage.

-1 ( +7 / -8 )

This has been moving at a glacial speed in comparison to the lives of Harry and Meghan!

6 ( +7 / -1 )

She should do a Harry, if her heart is in it.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

If I had a daughter who was thinking of marrying a guy whose mother was a notorious debt evader, I would definitely oppose the marriage.

I get it, I’m a father as well, but shouldn’t it be her choice? She’s not a possession, she’s an independent thinking adult, isn’t her happiness important. The guys mom might have a serious problem, but that’s HIS mother, not him. The media should really stay out these two lives and let them find and carve their own path in life otherwise, why live if she can’t follow her own path and follow what her family and IHA say. Just sad.

10 ( +13 / -3 )

Elope ! Civil ceremony at the court house. Fast and easy. Then live life. Don't get caught in the gears of the wedding machine.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

I get it, I’m a father as well, but shouldn’t it be her choice? She’s not a possession, she’s an independent thinking adult, isn’t her happiness important.

No, she isn't. She is a member of the royal family, they are not allowed to be independent. Just to select what she will wear today has to be approved by a dozen old farts. I can just imagine her saying "I want to have Mcdonalds for lunch" and as a result there will be a few heart attacks because she had an independent thought...

The guys mom might have a serious problem, but that’s HIS mother, not him.

As far as I know it is only 4 million yen, not exactly an overwhelming dept. Which is only 8% of what Princess Mako gets annually from taxpayers.

The media should really stay out these two lives and let them find and carve their own path in life otherwise, why live if she can’t follow her own path and follow what her family and IHA say.

You must be thinking of an idyllic universe, in this one media is a parasite!

Just sad.

Sure is!!!

1 ( +4 / -3 )

When getting married to Mr Komuro, a "commoner", Princess Mako would have to leave the Imperial House losing her royal status. This has something to do with the "patrimonial-driven" succession rule where a man from ordinary class is not taken into the House as a royal member.

Here arises a dilemma as Mako's exit would further shrink the size of Imperial family and working capacity for various public duties. The Princess alongside her younger sister are very popular and well-known public figures, and the House staff seems not to let her go at least for a while.

There is a proposal of establishing a special "female" house within, so that Mako wouldn't need to quit royal status.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Wow, actually agree with Bass that rarely happens LOL!!

This is beyond ridiculous, the GUY should bail on this before the IHA pulls the plug & makes he look like a fool!!

He is still young can easily recovery, IF he waits the IHA stops this he will forever be the fool, cut your losses now & move on!!!

5 ( +5 / -0 )

marriage is overrated anyway !

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Whilst I believe monarchies are archaic and a drain on the tax-payers, I do have some sympathy for the way the young royals are pestered by the media. Let them get on with life, together or apart. It's nobody's business but theirs.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

I think this kind of problem can be happened also in the normal Family, but the problem is that a lot of tax money is going to be spent for their marriage. So this marriage should be accepted and celebrated by most Japanese, in my opinion and as the writer said.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Thank you for the update I was just waiting in anticipation for the latest news.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

As I am a New Zealand citizen, may I offer for the Couple to come down to New Zealand and And get Married here. This is a personnel Invitation from me.

You are very welcome.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

The lifestyles of the rich and/or famous sure seems tough. Glad I’m just a poor nobody.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

This means I still have a chance.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

marriage is overrated anyway !

Depends on who one is married to, I imagine. It's a subjective thing, like Tolkien versus Tolstoy, or Coke versus Pepsi...

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Bet he is gaslighting her silly

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Don't blame this on the pandemic...... The imperial household agency is reportedly against any marriage plans because of the guy's family's alleged money problems.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

If she marries a commoner then she loses her "Royal" status. The is no benefit to the public to spend millions on a 'Royal' wedding if she has made the decision that love trumps royal titles, and she will exit the royal family immediately after.

Let them marry as commoners and get on with their lives without Household interference. They obviously love one another, and the only reason they've had to delay so far is the Household poking their nose into family business on the grooms side.

I feel sorry for them. If it wasn't for the royal household sticking their noses in, they would have been married at least a year ago and not stuck in this perpetual limbo waiting for the right time.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Yeah, it's not like the IHA is behind the curtains saying, "Heck NO!"

0 ( +0 / -0 )

For his family's financial troubles, Kai just needs to find the right photographer who'll pay up everything for the rights to the first baby photos. However, I'm sure the Royal family would probably demand that "their" chosen photographer get the rights.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

What i am quite surprised not that Komuro's family can afford the expensive education in the US, rather than there is a dispute between his mother and father about the finances. Before the bubble collapse, many Japanese middle class family can afford the expensive education in the USA and UK. After the collapse, the rate of Japanese students in the USA and UK dropped so dramatically from the number two to out of top 10.

I personally do not buy many Japanophile arguments of Japanese jobs demanding students not learning English nor better job opportunities in Japan than in the West. With lawyer registration in the USA, this guy can make 10 times higher than what he can in Japan along with a lot of prestige. I can imagine that it is likely he and Mako will settle to live in the USA after he got the lawyer status in the States.

Aside just commoners, it appears that Japanese upper middle class and elite class are also experiencing a wealth decline where their pockets may actually run into troubles.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

“You forgot the pack them? You better take quick trip down to the 7-11 then, shouldn’t you?”

1 ( +1 / -0 )

she is a cutie

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

she is a cutie

it's a shame she's dressed like a fifty-year old though.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

The more obstacles they get the sweeter their wedding/live becomes.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

No, she isn't. She is a member of the royal family, they are not allowed to be independent.

Born into a gilded prison. What a horrible life.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Can she even elope? It requires a family registry change

What is a family registry change? How big a deal is it. In the US you pay a small fee for a marriage license that basically is there to prevent under age marriage, brothers marrying sisters or close cousins marrying each other but it is pro-forma for non related adults. Fill out the form, pay the fee and off you go. Nobody can tell you no unless you are close relatives or underage.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

With lawyer registration in the USA, this guy can make 10 times higher than what he can in Japan along with a lot of prestige. I can imagine that it is likely he and Mako will settle to live in the USA after he got the lawyer status in the States.

Success and a high income are anything but assured. At one point in my life I lived on a cul-de-sac with ten homes right next to a prominent law school. Eight of the ten houses had law students living in them, three or four to a house. Probably 24 law students in all. Our house was all military and the last house was "the busybody", older lady pedaling used mattresses from her garage and sticking her nose into everything. One house had two law students and the Brewmaster for Mission Brewing. Very handy neighbor to have for our block parties ! So of those 24 law students only one ever managed to get a job as an attorney, and that was because his old man was a prominent LA attorney. He went to work in his law firm. The rest ended up with insurance or finance companies doing things that did not involve legal matters. The law profession in the US at least is highly competitive and a lot of attorneys work alone with no staff or perhaps one person in the office doing their own research and correspondence. Their clients are people who don't have a bunch of money, people getting evicted, family law, defending criminal cases, etc. I know a few such lawyers and they are not living large. They bust their butts with big caseloads, driving hundreds of miles to court houses all over the region and seeing clients late into the night after a day in court in another part of the county or maybe another county. The big law firms, or the legal departments of big corporations expect you to work 12-14 hours a day six days a week. I had an old childhood friend walk away from a job like that. Never home to see his kids, said enough was enough.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@Pukey

How dare you?!

My wife’s a fifty (three) year old.

She wouldn’t be seen dead in anything like that..,,

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Born into a gilded prison. What a horrible life.

It's all perspective. For her, it's not guilded. She's been watched by the media, literally since the day she was born, and has been restricted in what she is allowed to do, including marrying the person she wants to.

Just because you don't understand the problems faced, doesn't mean that said problems aren't entirely real to them, and just as stressful to them as many of the issues we peons feel in our regular lives.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Success and a high income are anything but assured. At one point in my life I lived on a cul-de-sac with ten homes right next to a prominent law school. Eight of the ten houses had law students living in them, three or four to a house. Probably 24 law students in all. Our house was all military and the last house was "the busybody", older lady pedaling used mattresses from her garage and sticking her nose into everything. One house had two law students and the Brewmaster for Mission Brewing. Very handy neighbor to have for our block parties ! So of those 24 law students only one ever managed to get a job as an attorney, and that was because his old man was a prominent LA attorney. He went to work in his law firm. The rest ended up with insurance or finance companies doing things that did not involve legal matters. The law profession in the US at least is highly competitive and a lot of attorneys work alone with no staff or perhaps one person in the office doing their own research and correspondence. Their clients are people who don't have a bunch of money, people getting evicted, family law, defending criminal cases, etc. I know a few such lawyers and they are not living large. They bust their butts with big caseloads, driving hundreds of miles to court houses all over the region and seeing clients late into the night after a day in court in another part of the county or maybe another county. The big law firms, or the legal departments of big corporations expect you to work 12-14 hours a day six days a week. I had an old childhood friend walk away from a job like that. Never home to see his kids, said enough was enough.

This is very exact. In the USA, those in medical industry, legal industry, and executive level finances are assured to be successful in life. Except those fields are highly competitive, and college debt-ridden. More than 90% of people got a job in those fields have college debts. There are heavy trade offs in the USA.

In the case of Komeiro, I am not sure if he has any college debt in the USA but I can see his family struggles to pay for his tuitions. It simply reminds me of how ridiculous the price tags for US and UK college education. Also, how far that Japan has fallen where even the rich people here struggled to stay prominent on the global stages.

@xeno man, correct me if I'm wrong but didn't his father and grandfather commit suicide

I am not sure but both of those facts should not inhibit his family's wealth. He could have a trust fund or something but we see no such thing.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I guess its postponed until he's in a position to support her. Passing the NY Bar exam would be a first step.... that'd allow him/her to use their network once employed by a large international legal company...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This is very exact. In the USA, those in medical industry, legal industry, and executive level finances are assured to be successful in life. 

That is not what I saw. Of the two dozen law school students in that neighborhood, all of whom graduated and eventually passed the bar exam, only one ended up practicing law and only because his father owned a law firm. The rest ended up doing something else outside of the legal profession after all the agony and cost of law school. A former city manager where I live had a JD and never used it. He ended up using his BS in civil engineering and MBA. The JD got him nowhere but in debt.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Privileged rich royal girl and her wanna be lawyer fiance. Cry me a river. No sympathy.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

That is not what I saw. Of the two dozen law school students in that neighborhood, all of whom graduated and eventually passed the bar exam, only one ended up practicing law and only because his father owned a law firm. The rest ended up doing something else outside of the legal profession after all the agony and cost of law school. A former city manager where I live had a JD and never used it. He ended up using his BS in civil engineering and MBA. The JD got him nowhere but in debt.

As I have said, legal professions are quagmired with debts. The real issue here is college debt which becomes agony for most people in your case. Those in medical fields also experience a world of pain when thinking about the debt as well.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It’s ridiculous that this was allowed to become a scandal when a solution could have been had early on. There are plenty of super rich Japanese willing to make this problem go away. Someone can still hire one of the young mans parents at a high salary in order to resolve the issue. This likely isn’t about the money.

Seems to me that someone very influential in the royal household is opposed to Mako’s choice and is using this as a wedge to prevent the marriage.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Looks like she borrowed her mother’s dress.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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