Husband of former Japanese princess Mako fails the New York bar exam for the second time

Kei Komuro, 30, the husband of former Japanese princess Mako Komuro, has failed the New York state bar exam for the second time.

Kei, who graduated from New York’s Fordham University law school in 2021, first attempted the bar that same year.

His second exam took place in February of this year, and his name did not appear on the pass list released on Thursday. He currently works at the Lowenstein Sandler law firm in Manhattan where the couple resides.

The couple moved to New York last year after marrying in Japan. Their marriage was highly scrutinized by the media due to Komuro’s commoner status. Due to the public criticism, Mako was said to have developed post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the imperial household agency.

Mako’s father, Fumihito, is the crown prince and first in line for the throne. Emperor Naruhito, the current monarch of Japan, has only one child: Princess Aiko. Japanese law dictates that only royal males can inherit the throne. Consequently, the emperor’s younger brother and Mako’s father became the official heir in 2020.

Former Japanese princess Mako was forced to renounce her titles and the $1.3 million payout typically given to female royals after she married her college sweetheart, now-husband. She recently secured a volunteer gig helping curators prepare an exhibition of Asian paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

The New York bar exam is offered four times a year, twice in February and twice in July, and takers are given an unlimited number of times to pass. It is unclear when or if Kei intends to take the test again.

Featured Image via ANNnewsCH

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