Japan’s Princess Mako Chooses Love Over Royal Status
Japanese Princess Mako, the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, married a commoner and lost her royal status Tuesday in a union that has split public opinion after a three-year delay caused by a financial dispute involving her new mother-in-law.
The marriage document for Mako and Kei Komuro was submitted by a palace official Tuesday morning and is now official, the Imperial Household Agency said.
No longer a royal, Mako has now taken the surname of her husband and become Mako Komuro — the first time she has had a family name. In Japan's imperial family, only male members are given household names, while female members only have titles and must leave if they marry commoners.
This example of prewar-era paternalism, still kept alive by the imperial family, is also reflected in Japanese gender policies that many criticize as outdated, including a law that requires married couples to use only one surname, almost always the husband's
