Man Postpones Marriage to Japanese Princess to Pay Off His ‘Student Loans’

Japanese Princess Mako and her fiancé, Kei Komuro, set their wedding for November 2018, but the groom-to-be’s financial woes forced the wedding to be postponed.

The pair made global headlines in 2017 when it was revealed that Mako, the granddaughter of Japan’s Emperor Akihito, was ready to give up her royal title to marry a “commoner” she met at a restaurant.

Komuro, a 27-year-old paralegal at a law firm in Tokyo, must first settle a financial dispute involving his educational expenses which were shouldered by his mother’s former fiancé. The ex-fiancé claimed that he lent the mother around 4 million yen ($36,500) when they were still engaged between 2010 and 2012 for Komuro’s education.

When their engagement was called off, the man demanded that the mother pay back the amount. In defense, the Komuro side considered the money as a donation instead of a loan.

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After reports of the financial dispute emerged last year, the Imperial Household Agency announced that the couple would push back the wedding to 2020.

Prince Fumihito, the father of the princess and younger son of Emperor Akihito, recently stated that if they want the wedding to move forward, Komuro and his family should make a statement about the issue.

“If the two still have feelings for marriage, there should be responses accordingly,” Prince Fumihito said at a press conference in November.

Komuro, who started a three-year course at Fordham University’s law school in New York in August, is set to release a written statement, according to sources cited by South China Morning Post.

The statement will reportedly contain a confirmation from Komuro that “all of the financial issues were resolved.” He will also apologize for causing “trouble to many as I did not explain clearly.”

The sources also noted that 27-year-old Princess Mako has been made aware of the statement and confirmed that the couple “maintain a strong intention to marry.”

Featured Image via YouTube / The Star Online

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