Japan Princess to Give Up $1.4 Million to Wed Fordham Grad

(Bloomberg) -- In an unprecedented move, Japan’s Princess Mako, a niece of the Emperor, will turn down a 152.5 million yen ($1.37 million) dowry when she marries her boyfriend Kei Komuro at the end of October. 

The announcement comes after intense public and media scrutiny in Japan over the pairing and especially the family background of Komuro, an aspiring lawyer raised by a single mother. The princess and Komuro, both 29, met in college in Tokyo.

The couple plan to register their marriage on October 26 and hold a press briefing after, according to local media reports citing an official announcement from the Imperial Household Agency Friday. 

Princess Mako is the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito, the Emperor’s brother. Under Japanese law, women in the royal family must leave the Imperial household when they marry. Typically, they are given a one-time payment to help them start their new life, but the Imperial Household Agency said the princess intends to turn down the payment, according to the reports.

The couple first announced their engagement in 2017, but the wedding set for the following year was delayed after reports emerged about Komuro’s mother owing money to her former fiance. 

Komuro then left Japan to attend law school at Fordham University. He graduated this year and will be working at a New York law firm as he awaits the results of his state bar exam later this year. After the marriage, Princess Mako plans to obtain her first passport and move to New York with Komuro.

Traditional ceremonies to mark the engagement and to greet the emperor will likely not be held due to the controversy over the marriage, according to local media reports. 

The couple will be reunited sometime this month after not seeing each other for around three years. Komuro returned to Japan this week and is currently in quarantine until October 11 as part of Japan’s coronavirus control measures.

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