Demonstrations, Criticism, and Silence: Japanese People's Real Feeling toward Makomuro Marriage

 

 

On the 26th, the day of the marriage of Kei Komuro to Mako, 30, the eldest daughter of the Akishino family, there was a protest demonstration against the marriage in Tokyo. According to "Bunshun Online," about 120 demonstrators gathered at Hibiya Park at 11 a.m. and marched 1.7 kilometers from Hibiya to Ginza for 40 minutes.

 

　The demonstrators walked with various message cards such as "Stop the farce conference," "Don't allow the overflow of imperial privileges," "NO KOMURO, don't allow the use of the imperial family," and "The imperial family is our source." A man who said he was the organizer of the demonstration explained his aim, the article said.

 

The participants were mainly women in their 50s and 60s, but there was a wide range of ages and genders. A woman in her twenties from Yokohama, who came to the demonstration with her one-year-old child, said, "My image of the Imperial Family has changed a lot. I used to think that the IF was a group of noble people who lived in a different world from us, and that they were doing their best for Japan. I can only think that the harsh opinions on the Internet are self-inflicted. I think it's just rust on Mako's part," she said in a stern tone.

 

What was the public's response upon this? When Bunshun Online interviewed people on their way home after work in Shinbashi, the amusement quarters for office workers in Tokyo, many harsh responses were received, such as the following.

 

"I'm frustrated that they didn't take questions at the press conference. Mr. Komuro was a person who ran away from everything and everyone" (Male, 30s)

 

"It's not like the public wants to hear things like 'Kei is irreplaceable to me.’ We were only told about their love affair. They only imposed their own opinions and didn't answer questions from the media, who represent the people. Is it okay for a 30-year-old adult to do such a selfish thing? I wonder if she will be able to make it in society. All I could see was that Mako is dependent on Mr. Komuro.”(Female, 30s)

Note: If you, like many Westerners, believe that the only problem with Komuro is his mother's debt problem, then it will seem odd that the Japanese would be so harsh in their words.

If you want to know why, read the entire scandal of Komuro and his mother that has been introduced in this blog. While most of the Western media dismisses them as "gossip magazine reporting," Japanese people, especially the more educated ones, know that in Japan, weekly magazines are more trustworthy than newspapers, as long as they are free from government interference and have solid evidence. 

 

On the other hand, the shopping street in Okurayama, Yokohama, where Mr. Komuro's mother lives, was quiet on the 26th, with no congratulatory banners or signs, a stark contrast to the festive atmosphere in the shopping street when Mako and Kei Komuro held their engagement press conference four years ago.

 

　A shopkeeper said, "Four years ago, the shopping district's promotion association served local plum wine to more than 1,000 people in front of the station, and a Japanese sweets shop sold sekihan (red rice). But today it's quiet. ......" He said in a sad tone.