Bad debts and Korean blood: Japanese tabloids in a frenzy after Princess Mako’s wedding postponed
The abrupt announcement that the wedding was being put off came with little warning, and the decision was attributed to a lack of time to prepare and a desire to avoid overloading the imperial family’s schedule
Officially, the wedding scheduled for November between Japan’s Princess Mako and Kei Komuro has been delayed by more than one year because the couple had insufficient time to make all the necessary preparations and they did not want their celebrations to clash with the abdication of the emperor in 2019.
Unofficially, the Imperial Household Agency – the power behind Japan’s Chrysanthemum Throne – has stepped in after a rash of media reports alleging the mother of Komuro, a commoner who works as a paralegal, borrowed 4 million yen (US$36,700) from her former fiancée to cover her son’s education expenses and then declined to pay it back.
According to reports in the Japanese media, Komuro’s mother said she regarded the money as a “gift”.
The faintest whiff of scandal surrounding the union would have been sufficient to set alarm bells ringing at the IHA, but the domestic media – sensing a good story – has continued to dig up new revelations.
It has since been reported Komuro’s father committed suicide but the man’s family has been attempting to get back into the family picture since the engagement to the princess was first announced in September. Another suggestion is that Komuro’s maternal grandfather was Korean.
We believe we have rushed various things. I wish to think about marriage more deeply and concretely
The abrupt announcement that the wedding was being put off from November came with little warning, and the decision was attributed to a lack of time to prepare and a desire to avoid overloading the imperial family’s schedule as the emperor’s abdication draws closer.
