Japanese Princess Gives Up Royal Status To Marry Commoner She Met At A Party

Japan's Imperial Household revealed that the 25-year-old granddaughter of Emperor Akihito, Princess Mako, is planning to wed Kei Komuro, a law firm employee with no royal background. This means that Princess Mako will have to give up her royal status and title as part of Japan's Imperial Household.

This is all because Japan's old laws require royal members to leave the imperial family upon marriage to a commoner. The last member to do this was Princess Sayako, Emperor Akihito's daughter when she married a town planner in 2005. Now that Princess Mako is doing the same, the public is concerned that the imperial family is shrinking.

The imperial family currently holds 19 members, 14 of which are female. Japan's imperial laws only allow the throne to be given to male members, of which only 3 remain. There are 6 unmarried princesses in the family, and if they lose their royal titles by following Princess Mako's steps, eventually no one will be left to carry out the royal family's duties.

Just recently, Emperor Akihito raised his concerns about his ability to rule. The 83-year-old says he is worried that his old age is deterring him from fulfilling his duties, which is probably why his public appearances have lessened over time. The Japanese parliament is in the process of deciding whether they will allow the Emperor to step down since the imperial law states that Emperors are required to serve for life.

But for now, the Japanese media are more focused on Princess Mako and Kei Komuro's engagement. The two allegedly met 5 years ago at a party when they were classmates at the International Christian University in Tokyo. Now that Princess Mako is marrying a commoner, she will have to swap her monarch privileges for the freedom to vote and to pay taxes. While the engagement hasn't been formally officiated yet, Japan's Imperial House will most likely make the announcement by next month.