Japanese Princess Decides to Forgo N558.9m Inheritance for Her to Marry a 'Commoner'

Japanese Princess Decides to Forgo N558.9m Inheritance for Her to Marry a 'Commoner'

  • According to Japan's statute, female members of the imperial dynasty lose their position and inheritance when they wed a commoner
  • Princess Mako is the daughter of former emperor while her sweetheart Kei Komuro is an American-Japanese
  • They have been engaged for years, but her family opposition to her decision stalled the marriage; the family has finally succumbed to her wish

Just like in the movies, Japan Princess Mako, daughter of a former emperor, has opted to forego not only her royal position but also a one-time family payment of $1.35 million (about N558.9 million) in order to be with her college sweetheart, Kei Komuro.

Japan’s media outfit, Bangok Post reports that 29-year-old Mako for years has been dating after they both fell in love while in school.

The report noted that her decision has sparked a serious public outcry in the Asian country which frowns at royals getting married to commoners.

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Japanese sweetheart
Japan's Princess Mako will lose her royal title when she marries her commoner sweetheart Source: Getty Images
Source: UGC

It was also reported that immediately after a wedding she is contemplating a relocation to the United States, bringing obvious similarities to another contentious royal pair, Britain's Prince Harry and Megan Markle.

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Mako is the younger sister of Prince Hisahito, the only other eligible male successor to Japan's Chrysanthemum Throne, as the Chrysanthemum Throne may only descend to male members of the dynasty, and children of female royals who marry commoners are excluded.

More Sacrifice for love

Mako's desire to marry a "commoner" requires her to give up her title under Japan's 1947 Imperial House Law.

Former Empress Michiko, Princess Mako's grandmother, had urged for their engagement to be called off in 2017 when accusations surfaced that Komuro's mother was engaged in a $40,000 (4.3 million yen) monetary dispute.

The disagreement is still ongoing and involved the ex-partner of Komuro’s mother, who is a widow and claims the funds were a loan, some of which reportedly went to financing Komuro’s schooling, something the Princess’ family see as a disgrace and a slap of their royal status.

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But despite the rejection and controversy caused by their love affair, the couple appears determined to go ahead with their wedding plans and are set to marry later this year.

Nigerian lady gives her Boyfriend dirty slap for breaking up with him

Meanwhile, a young lady whose man told her he wanted a break-up stubbornly gave him a hot slap as he attempted to leave.

The incident happened in front of a crowd after the lovebirds were involved in a heated argument and the lady was not ready to take any of it.

According to the woman, he had met their family and had even talked about marriage several times, only to break up with her sister less over the phone because he was seeing another person.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Dave Ibemere avatar

Dave Ibemere (Senior Business Editor) Dave Ibemere is a senior business editor at Legit.ng. He is a financial journalist with over a decade of experience in print and online media. He also holds a Master's degree from the University of Lagos. He is a member of the African Academy for Open-Source Investigation (AAOSI), the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and other media think tank groups. He previously worked with The Guardian, BusinessDay, and headed the business desk at Ripples Nigeria. Email: dave.ibemere@corp.legit.ng.