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The Kei Komuro and Mako Thread

thomas

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A would-be prince kissed to a frog by the media with the help of the Imperial Household Agency: an opinion piece on Japan's imperial wedding drama.

komuro-mako.jpg

Kei Komuro and Princess Mako in 2017

Japan's imperial wedding drama a clash between old and new


Westerners inculcated with modern democratic values will wonder what the fuss is about. Soon after the princess and Komuro announced their engagement in 2017, Japanese gossip magazines began to report "financial problems" between Komuro's widowed mother and an unnamed Mr. A described as her "former fiance." Mr. A, it was reported, had "loaned" Komuro's mother 4 million yen ($36,000) back in 2010 before their engagement was terminated. Mr. A told the magazines that the "debt" had not been repaid. Modern-minded Westerners will be surprised, and indeed offended, that a dispute over a relatively small sum between Komuro's mother and ex-boyfriend should have any bearing on her son or his wedding plans. After all, modern democratic values emphatically reject the ancient belief in collective tribal guilt, that the son is responsible for the father's sins. So, too, we have moved on from the related pre-modern notion that one must not marry outside of one's tribe, or below or above one's station. Ah, but there's the rub. Monarchy itself is anti-democratic. It is a status handed down from father to son based on blood, not individual merit. Outside Japan, that one's intended marriage partner's parents declared personal bankruptcy or divorced is no longer an insurmountable barrier. In Japan, "good family backgrounds" still matter, especially for the older sister of a future Emperor.

And the conclusion:

The messy drama shows that it is naive to expect that modern democratic values and the ancient codes embedded in a hereditary monarchy can be easily reconciled. If Komuro and Princess Mako plow ahead with an official wedding and the associated benefits and privileges, public opinion will strongly disapprove. Fair or not, the Imperial institution will be diminished in the public eye. The only dignified path forward for Komuro and Princess Mako is to renounce all Imperial benefits and privileges and live their lives as ordinary Japanese citizens.

Source: Japan's imperial wedding drama a clash between old and new

Love or the filthy lucre, what will it be?
 
The media will win, either way it sells copy! :(

This is also why some traditions / traditional thinking should just die off.
 
Surprising twist: today, it was reported that Princess Mako would move to New York and marry her fiance, Mr Komuro, by year-end. She will likely decline a lump-sum payment of 150m JPY (courtesy of taxpayers). Escaping the clutches of the Imperial Household Agency and the prying eyes of the media was probably the best decision of her life.


Under the current rules, female imperial family members lose their royal status upon marrying a commoner. The marriage of the princess and Komuro, both 29, has been postponed for over two years due to the dispute over 4 million yen that the former fiance claims the mother owes him. The sum includes money spent on Komuro's educational expenses. If the princess marries Komuro without traditional ceremonies, she would be the first female imperial family member to skip them in postwar Japan. The rites are an official engagement ceremony called "Nosai no Gi," in which the families of the betrothed exchange gifts, and a "Choken no Gi" ceremony to officially meet with the emperor and empress before marriage. The Imperial Household Agency will consider whether it is possible under current rules not to offer the lump-sum payment, which would be financed by taxpayers' money, in accordance with the princess's request.

 
She looks happy.

mako.jpg


 
It looks as if the Imperial Household Agency will agree not to pay a lump sum of some 150m JPY to Princess Mako. Dear IHA, on behalf of all taxpayers residing in Japan, thank you for your graciousness and understanding! :)

Side-note: according to the Imperial Household Finance Act, the lump sum is intended to "maintain the dignity of female members" after leaving the imperial family.

Mr Komuro will return to Japan on Monday, the wedding is planned for the end of October at the earliest.

 
Meanwhile, Mr Komuro returned to Japan last Monday under immense media coverage. He had already been chased by Japanese reporters in New York and received a lot of flak (from journalists) for his refusal to answer their questions. And ... [gasp] ... he had grown a ponytail!

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It's also been reported that Princess Mako had PTSD caused by abusive comments and the media frenzy. She and Komuro Kei will marry on 26 October.

Princess Mako, the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, will marry her college sweetheart Kei Komuro on Oct. 26 after postponing their wedding for years. Officials of the Imperial Household Agency announced details of the marriage plan at a news conference on Oct. 1 and simultaneously revealed that Mako has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder due to abusive comments about her relationship with Komuro.


It is not sure whether Mr Komuro will get rid of his ponytail before tying the knot with Princess Mako.
 
Yesterday, about 100 people demonstrated in Tokyo against the wedding between Princess mako And Kei Komuro. The demonstration was organised by someone calling himself 皇室系ユーチューバー (Imperial Yutuber). According to Yahoo Japan, 80% of all participants were female.

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Last Saturday saw another demonstration of some 130 people who oppose the upcoming marriage. Just like the first one, it was organised by the "imperial Youtuber". It makes you wonder what drives these people.

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Meanwhile, Mr Komuro, minus the ponytail, visited his in-laws-to-be:


The agency revealed earlier this month the princess has been diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder caused by what she described as psychological abuse the couple and their families had received. Complex PTSD develops in response to the prolonged and repeated experiences of trauma including verbal abuse and cyberbullying, according to Tsuyoshi Akiyama, a psychiatrist who diagnosed the princess. The couple has often been subjected to derogatory comments on social media.

 
According to the placards, the Imperial Household requires protection from Mr Komuro. I can't remember such protests when the current emperor's younger sister, Sayoko, married a pleb commoner some years ago. Must be the ponytail!
 
Jake Adelstein is spot on as usual. My take is that the conservatives, who are furious about Princess Mako following her heart rather than opting for a life of duty breeding heirs for Yamato, know that they cannot attack her so have gone for her fiancee.

 
Jake Adelstein is spot on as usual. My take is that the conservatives, who are furious about Princess Mako following her heart rather than opting for a life of duty breeding heirs for Yamato, know that they cannot attack her so have gone for her fiancee.

That was a great article!

... the princess did send a powerful "f*** y**" to the powers that be in Japan.

😊😆🤣

Not as outspoken as Adelstein, JT had a piece today blaming the Kunaichō for its poor, or rather, non-existent media handling:

 
Today, Mako and Kei Komuro finally tied the knot. According to a survey conducted by Yomiuri Shinbun over 50 per cent of the respondents thought the marriage was a good thing, against 33 per cent who did not.

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Photo credit: Kyodo

Congratulations and godspeed! :)


 
The 33% can go f#ck off. It's none of their business.

But the real question is, is the ponytail still there? I don't see any pics of the commoner.
 
Looks like he sacrificed the top knot. He should auction it off for charity. That would really cause a stir. :LOL:
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After they move to NY, I'm really hoping that the next picture we see will have him with a full neck tattoo even if it's just temporary.
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A would-be prince kissed to a frog by the media with the help of the Imperial Household Agency: an opinion piece on Japan's imperial wedding drama.

View attachment 43589
Kei Komuro and Princess Mako in 2017

Japan's imperial wedding drama a clash between old and new




And the conclusion:



Source: Japan's imperial wedding drama a clash between old and new

Love or the filthy lucre, what will it be?
I hate how rumors go around. They are so annoying especially all these people in the families business🙄 who cares if her mother happened to not be in the best financial state or whatevs.. I wonder how that info even gets out...
Looking at the other pictures they look so happy! I wish the best for them.
 
I was impressed with the press conference. They come off as a very intelligent, well-spoken, and grounded young couple.

(I also should have known better than to peek down at the comments on the YouTube video, many of which are utterly shameful.)
 
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