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, formerly , is a former member of the
Japanese imperial family The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...
. She is the eldest child of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, niece of
Emperor Naruhito is the current Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era, following the abdication of his father, Akihito. He is the 126th monarch according to Japan's traditional order of succession. ...
, and granddaughter of Emperor Emeritus Akihito and
Empress Emerita Michiko is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who served as the Empress consort of Japan as the wife of Akihito, the 125th Emperor of Japan reigning from 7 January 1989 to 30 April 2019. Michiko married Crown Prince Akihito and became the Crow ...
. She married Kei Komuro, a
lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
, on 26 October 2021. As a result of her marriage to a commoner, she gave up her imperial title and left the imperial family, as required by the
Imperial Household Law is a statute in Japanese law that governs the line of imperial succession, the membership of the imperial family, and several other matters pertaining to the administration of the Imperial Household. In 2017, the National Diet changed the law ...
.


Early life and education

Mako Komuro was born Princess Mako of Akishino on 23 October 1991 to Fumihito, Prince Akishino, and Kiko, Princess Akishino, at Imperial Household Agency Hospital in
Tokyo Imperial Palace The is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in the Chiyoda district of the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo and contains several buildings including the where the Emperor has his living quarters, the where va ...
,
Chiyoda, Tokyo is a special ward located in central Tokyo, Japan. It is known as Chiyoda City in English.Profile< ...
. She has a younger sister, Princess Kako, and a younger brother,
Prince Hisahito is the youngest child and only son of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Japan. He is the nephew of Emperor Naruhito and second in line to the throne after his father, Fumihito. Birth Hisahito was born at 08:27 JST (23:27 UTC ...
. Mako was educated at the
Gakushūin The or Peers School (Gakushūin School Corporation), initially known as Gakushūjo, is a Japanese educational institution in Tokyo, originally established to educate the children of Japan's nobility. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2002)"Gakushū- ...
School in her Primary, Girls' Junior and Senior High School years. She studied
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
at
University College, Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...
(UCD), in July–August 2010. She had an informal talk with the
President of Ireland The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The president holds office for seven years, and can ...
,
Mary McAleese Mary Patricia McAleese ( ; ga, Máire Pádraigín Mhic Ghiolla Íosa; ; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish activist lawyer and former politician who served as the eighth president of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. She is an academic ...
, and she visited
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
. The Princess graduated from the
International Christian University is a non-denominational private university located in Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan, commonly known as ICU. With the efforts of Prince Takamatsu, General Douglas MacArthur, and BOJ President Hisato Ichimada, ICU was established in 1949 as the first l ...
in Mitaka,
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, on 26 March 2014 with a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in Art and Cultural Heritage. She obtained Japanese national certification in curation as well as a
driver's license A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public ...
while she was an undergraduate student. She later studied
art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...
at the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
for nine months, from September 2012 to May 2013. On 17 September 2014, she left for the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
where she studied at the
University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...
for a year, receiving an MA degree in Art Museum and Gallery Studies on 21 January 2016. In September 2016, she enrolled in the doctoral course of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, International Christian University.


Public life

Mako has been considered by some to be an internet idol since 2004, when images of her in
sailor fuku The Japanese school uniform is modeled in appearance similar to that of the European-style naval uniforms. It was first used in Japan in the late 19th century, replacing the traditional kimono. Today, school uniforms are common in many of the ...
appeared on television. An image repository was set up, and a video featuring
fanart Fan art or fanart is artwork created by fans of a work of fiction and derived from a series character or other aspect of that work. They are usually done by amateur artists, semi-professionals or professionals. As fan labor, fan art refers t ...
of Komuro was uploaded onto the popular video-sharing website Nico Nico Douga, attracting over 340,000 views and 86,000 comments. The Imperial Household Agency, responding to a request for comment, stated that they are not sure how they should handle this phenomenon, since they see no signs of slander or insults against the Imperial Family. In 2011, Princess Mako came of age and was conferred Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Precious Crown The is a Japanese order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. Since the Order of the Rising Sun at that time was an Order for men, it was established as an Order for women. Originally the order had five classes, but on Ap ...
on 23 October. Since then, she began attending official events as an adult member of the Imperial Family. She gave her patronage to a number of organizations, including the
Japan Tennis Association Japan Tennis Association (JTA) ( ja, 日本テニス協会) is the governing body for professional and amateur tennis in Japan. Founded in 1922 and recognized by International Lawn Tennis Federation (now International Tennis Federation) in 1923, i ...
and the Japan Kōgei Association.


Official visits

* December 2015 –
El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
and
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...
* September 2016 –
Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
* June 2017 –
Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...
* August 2017 –
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
* July 2018 –
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
* July 2019 –
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...
and
Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...


Personal interests

In August 2006, Mako visited
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
,
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
for two weeks on a school-sponsored
homestay Homestay (also home stay and home-stay) is a form of hospitality and lodging whereby visitors share a residence with a local of the area (host) to which they are traveling. The length of stay can vary from one night to over a year and can be pr ...
program. She stayed in the home of an
Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
citizen who was a colleague of Tatsuhiko Kawashima, her maternal grandfather. Because Mako is interested in
art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
and
architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
, she visited the
museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
s, St. Stephen's Cathedral and
Schönbrunn Palace Schönbrunn Palace (german: Schloss Schönbrunn ; Central Bavarian: ''Schloss Scheenbrunn'') was the main summer residence of the Habsburg rulers, located in Hietzing, Vienna. The name ''Schönbrunn'' (meaning “beautiful spring”) has its root ...
. In July 2011, she worked as a
volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...
in the affected areas of the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...
without revealing her identity. She became a project researcher at
The University Museum, The University of Tokyo is a museum in Tokyo, Japan. It is part of The University of Tokyo. UMUT was established in 1966 to mainly preserve the collection of the university. Today UMUT works with preservation, research, and exhibitions for the general public. History ...
on 1 April 2016. In April 2022, it was reported that she was working as an unpaid volunteer at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
, assisting curators within the museum's Asian art collection.


Engagement and marriage

In May 2017, it was announced that the Princess was expected to marry Kei Komuro, a graduate of
International Christian University is a non-denominational private university located in Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan, commonly known as ICU. With the efforts of Prince Takamatsu, General Douglas MacArthur, and BOJ President Hisato Ichimada, ICU was established in 1949 as the first l ...
(ICU). The two had been reportedly dating since 2013. The wedding was originally expected to take place in November 2018, but it was postponed for approximately three years due to Komuro's mother's involvement in a financial dispute. A Japanese weekly magazine reported she had received over ¥4 million ($36,000) from her former fiancé, some of which went towards paying Komuro's tuition fees. The dispute resulted in the imperial family's and the public's disapproval of the match. Early in 2021, Komuro released a 28-page statement, mentioning that his mother initially believed the money was a gift and added that he wished to pay it back. In September 2021, it was reported that the marriage would take place in the form of a simple ceremony at a government office, with the date later announced as 26 October 2021, three days after Mako's 30th birthday. On 26 October 2021, Princess Mako officially married Komuro following the submission of their marriage document at the local ward office. Like her paternal aunt, Sayako, Princess Nori, and other princesses who married commoners in recent decades she formally lost her title and became a commoner upon marriage as required by
Imperial Household Law is a statute in Japanese law that governs the line of imperial succession, the membership of the imperial family, and several other matters pertaining to the administration of the Imperial Household. In 2017, the National Diet changed the law ...
. In light of the scandals surrounding her husband's family, she also gave up the Japanese government's taxpayer funded payment of ¥140 million ($1.3 million USD) given to royal women upon leaving the Imperial Family. She is the first female member of the imperial family to forgo an official wedding ceremony and a gift of money from the government. The couple gave a press conference at a hotel hall after their wedding where they provided answers to five questions submitted in advance. The couple announced their desire to move to New York as Kei Komuro gained a
Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
degree from
Fordham University School of Law Fordham University School of Law is the law school of Fordham University. The school is located in Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city. In 2013, 91% of the law school's first-time test t ...
in May 2021. While awaiting her passport issuance and US Visa, she moved to her own residence in the Shibuya district in Tokyo as she is by law not allowed to live at her parents' house inside the imperial quarters. Kei Komuro resolved the financial dispute between his mother and her ex-fiancé in November 2021, paying the ex-fiancé an undisclosed sum of money to resolve the debt. The couple departed for New York in mid-November 2021. Kei Komuro was hired by the New York-based law firm Lowenstein Sandler LLP in 2021 and he passed the New York
bar examination A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associ ...
in July 2022.


Health

Weeks before her planned wedding, the Imperial Household Agency announced on behalf of Princess Mako that she had recently been diagnosed with
complex post-traumatic stress disorder Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD; also known as complex trauma disorder) is a psychological disorder that is theorized to develop in response to exposure to a series of traumatic events in a context in which the individual perceive ...
(C-PTSD) by the head of the quality assurance room of the NTT Tokyo Medical Center. The diagnosis determined that the C-PTSD originated during her primary high school years and continued due to strong criticism from imperial family members and the media.


Titles, styles, and honours


Titles and styles

Mako was styled as ''Her Imperial Highness'' Princess Mako until her marriage on 26 October 2021, after which she became known as ''Mrs.'' Kei Komuro.


Honours


National honours

*: Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Precious Crown The is a Japanese order, established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. Since the Order of the Rising Sun at that time was an Order for men, it was established as an Order for women. Originally the order had five classes, but on Ap ...
(23 October 2011)


Foreign honours

*: Grand Cross of the
Order of Rio Branco The Order of Rio Branco (''Ordem de Rio Branco'') is an honorific order of Brazil instituted by decree 51.697 of February 5, 1963. It is named in honor of the Brazilian diplomat José Paranhos, Baron of Rio Branco. The President of Brazil serves ...
(12 October 2021) *: Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit (5 October 2021)


References


External links


Their Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince and Crown Princess Akishino and their family
at the Imperial Household Agency website {{DEFAULTSORT:Komuro, Mako Japanese princesses 1991 births Living people People from Tokyo Grand Cordons (Imperial Family) of the Order of the Precious Crown International Christian University alumni Alumni of the University of Leicester Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People with post-traumatic stress disorder Controversies in Japan Japanese expatriates in the United States