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Japan’s Princess Mako’s bid to marry her college boyfriend spotlights realities of married life
- Money has become a concern in Princess Mako’s plan to marry commoner Kei Komuro, given a debt dispute involving his family
- The princess will get a payout to help maintain her ‘dignity’ after she loses her status from marrying a commoner, but some observers question if it’ll be enough
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Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino has stopped short of wholeheartedly embracing his eldest daughter’s wish to marry a commoner, amid impropriety concerns and worries she might struggle financially once out of the royal fold.
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The 55-year-old prince, who is next in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne, told reporters last month that he “approved” of Princess Mako marrying Kei Komuro, “if that is what they really want”.
But he mentioned an “issue” that still needed to be dealt with so that the public could be “convinced and pleased about their marriage”.
Komuro and the princess, both now 29, first announced their engagement in September 2018 with the intention of marrying the following year. The wedding has been delayed since February 2019, however, after reports emerged of a dispute between Komuro’s mother and her former boyfriend over 4 million yen (US$38,400) that he had loaned her, in part to cover her son’s university costs.
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Komuro’s mother reportedly claimed the money was a gift and that she was under no obligation to repay it.
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