Japanese Imperial Family Today

    On September 30, Princess Mako, the eldest daughter of Prince and Princess Akishino, delivered a video message as Honorary President at the opening ceremony of the International Ceramics Festival Mino held in Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture.   The term of office of the Honorary President will last until October 17, the end of the exhibition period. Mako is expected to marry her fiance, Kei Komuro, 29, within the same month and leave the imperial family, so this will be her last official activity except for palace rituals.

  On the 1st, the Imperial Household Agency announced that the marriage date between Princess Mako (29), the eldest daughter of the Akishino family, and Kei Komuro (29), her college classmate, has been set for the 26 th of this month. The marriage registration will be submitted on the same day, and the two will hold a press conference together. The venue for the press conference is reportedly being arranged to be a private facility rather than a facility of the Imperial Household Agency. Komuro, who took the bar exam in the U.S., has decided to work for a local law firm, and they will travel to the U.S. together after the marriage.   According to the provisions of the Imperial Household Law, Mako will leave the Imperial Household upon her marriage. At her request, Mako will not hold any wedding-related ceremonies, such as the "Noukai-no-gi," a ceremony to mark the conclusion of the wedding ceremony, or the "Asami-no-gi," a ceremony to formally bid farewell t

    Kei Komuro, 29, has found his name listed as a "law clerk" on the website of a U.S. law firm.   https://www.lowenstein.com/people/attorneys/kei-komuro The law firm has five offices in the U.S., founded in 1961, and has more than 350 lawyers on staff.  Komuro graduated from Fordham University Law School in the U.S. and has taken the New York State bar exam, the results of which will be announced in December, and if he passes, he is expected to work for the firm.   The firm's website lists his name as "Kei Komuro" and "Law Clerk" with his profile. In addition to his academic background, the site lists his awards at Fordham University, including " Fordham's JFK Profile in Courage and Sweat Equity Award; Fordham's Archibald R. Murray Public Service Award ."   In addition, it described: "Kei counsels entrepreneurs, emerging companies, and investors on venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, entity formation, and gene

  Komuro Returns Home Kei Komuro, whose marriage to Princess Mako, the eldest daughter of Prince and Princess Akishino, is being coordinated, returned to Japan from the U.S. for the first time in three years on the afternoon of March 27. The Imperial Household Agency is preparing for the marriage next month and is expected to make an announcement soon.   The passenger plane with Kei Komuro (29) on board departed from the airport in New York, U.S.A. at around 2:40 a.m. on the 27th (Japan time), and arrived at Narita Airport just after 3:20 p.m. on the 27th.   Komuro was dressed in a suit with his long hair tied back and no tie, just as he had been when he left the United States.   He stopped in front of the press and bowed profusely, then walked quickly to the test for the new coronavirus that was required upon his return.   This is the first time for Komuro to return to Japan since he came to the U.S. three years ago in August to be admitted as a lawyer in the state o

    It was reported by the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 25th that the government is making final adjustments to respect Mako's wishes and not provide her with a lump-sum payment when she leaves the Imperial Family.   According to the report, the Imperial Economic Council, which decides the amount of the lump-sum payment, is also not expected to be held. This will be the first time since the end of World War II that a lump-sum payment will not be paid to a female member of the Imperial Family who leaves the Imperial Family through marriage.   　 The Imperial Household Economy Law stipulates that a lump-sum payment be paid to a member of the IF who is leaving the Imperial Household to maintain his or her dignity as a former member of the IF. According to a government official, Mako has informed the Imperial Household Agency of her intention to decline the lump-sum payment in consideration of public sentiment critical of her marriage. However, since there is no provision in the l

    The Imperial Household Agency has announced that Princess Mako, the eldest daughter of the Akishino family, will become the honorary president of an international ceramics exhibition to be held in Gifu Prefecture.   According to the Imperial Household Agency, Mako will become the honorary president of the "International Ceramics Festival Mino," which will be held in Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture, from the 30th of this month to the 17th of next month.   Mako will not visit the site due to the new corona, but she will send a video message to the opening ceremony and will also write a few words for the festival catalogue.   It is expected to be the last official duty for Mako, who is expected to submit her marriage registration next month, before she leaves the Imperial Family.

 Kei Komuro to return to Japan on  27 to marry Mako in October, paparazzi show him with long hair   Kei Komuro (29), who is scheduled to marry Mako (29), the eldest daughter of the Akishino family, will return to Japan from the U.S. on the afternoon of the 27th of this month. After a two-week quarantine, he and Mako will hold a press conference early next month, after which they will register their marriage.   The press conference will not be held in real time, but is expected to be "pre-recorded" with the Imperial Household staff. The press conference is not expected to be held in real time, but will be "pre-recorded" with a person in charge of the Imperial Family. It is expected to be a harmonious one, with the participants answering questions prepared in advance.   "Even so, TV stations are gearing up for special programs, especially wide shows. I think the total national viewership will be tremendous," said a TV insider.   As for the sc

  On the 20th, His Majesty the Emperor Naruhito and his family entered the Imperial Palace from the ceremonial palace where they had temporally been staying, as the work of moving into the palace was completed.   The Imperial Palace was under renovation until June this year after the Emperor and Empress moved to the Sento Temporary Palace (Minato-ku, Tokyo) in March last year.   The family moved from the Akasaka Palace to the Imperial Palace on the 6th of this month, but they were living in the ceremonial palace while their belongings were being moved in.   According to the Imperial Household Agency, His Majesty, who saw the work being done, instructed that the work be avoided to be done at night and early in the morning to avoid close quarters and to prevent the staff from getting tired, and the work was extended for five days longer than originally planned. His Majesty's family entered the Imperial Palace at around 8 p.m. on the 20th.   During their stay at the ce

It was reported this month that there is a plan within the government to keep the Emperor's family and the four existing imperial families alive as a way to secure the number of members of the imperial family.   On the 6th, Kyodo News reported that based on the draft of the advisory panel that called for the female members of the Imperial Family to maintain the imperial register after marriage, it is assumed that Emperor Naruhito's only daughter, Aiko (19), will remain with the Emperor's family and that the second daughter of the Akishino family, Kako (26), will take over the Akishino family. According to the report, since it is directly related to the status and role of the female members of the IF after their marriage, it is assumed that the content will give maximum consideration to their wishes. A person involved in the matter revealed this on the 5th.   The aim is to maintain the "current system" of the Imperial Family and to ensure that the Imperia

  Kei Komuro, 29, who is engaged to be married to Mako, 29, the eldest daughter of the Akishino family, is expected to return to Japan from the United States soon, according to interviews with people involved. This will be his first return to Japan in about three years. On October 16, Kyodo News, NHK, and other Japanese media reported the news at once.   Komuro took the NY State Bar Exam online at the end of July and is currently awaiting the results.   Since the announcement of the engagement in 2017, many scandals have erupted regarding Komuro, including the issue of his mother's large debts, and recently, there have been new allegations of career fraud in the resume that Komuro submitted for employment at a law firm in New York. For this reason, the public is questioning his marriage to Mako, but it is expected that the planned press conference will not include tough questions about these issues, but will mainly focus on the "feelings" of the two married coup

    Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress and their eldest daughter, Toshinomiya Aiko, moved from Akasaka Palace to the Imperial Palace on the 6th. The Emperor and his family officially became residents of the Imperial Palace with the replacement of the Emperor with His Majesty Prince Ritsui.   At around 2:30 p.m. on the afternoon of the 6th, His Majesty departed the Akasaka Palace with the Empress and Princess Aiko, accompanied by attendants holding the sword and the imperial seal that will be handed down with the throne. As they left the main gate, they rolled down their car windows and smiled and waved to people along the road. In consideration of the new coronavirus, the family will not stay at the imperial residence in the provinces, but will stay at the Imperial Palace during the moving process. This was made possible at the suggestion of His Majesty the Emperor himself.   His Majesty the Emperor, at the age of 61, has lived in the Akasaka Imperial Palace for most o