Japan’s Princess Mako, 30, formally registered her marriage with her lawyer boyfriend, Kei Komuro, 30, on October 26, after a four-year engagement.

Mako is the niece of Emperor Naruhito and a member of the Imperial Family, while Kei comes from a single-parent family, having been brought up by his mother after his father died while he was in elementary school. Mako and Kei first met each other in university.

The couple’s union stirred up a media frenzy in Japan after their engagement was first announced in 2017, with tabloids reporting that Kei’s mother owed a large sum of money to her former fiancé.

The debt totalled S$35,000, and the media jumped on the reports, painting Kei and his family as a bunch of swindlers.

Their marriage was then postponed indefinitely amidst the intense media scrutiny. Kei has since come forward with a 24-page explanation and later reportedly said he would pay a settlement to his mother's former fiancé.

In 2018, Kei left Japan to study law in New York. In May this year, he graduated from Fordham University School of Law and took the New York bar exam in July. Earlier this year, it was reported that Mako was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to the stress from the media furore.

However, they eventually pressed forward with their marriage, with Kei returning to Japan in September this year.

As is customary with the Imperial Family, Mako has since relinquished her royal title. This is in accordance with the Imperial House Law, where royal females are stripped of their status if they marry a commoner.

She also chose to relinquish a one-off US$1.3mil (S$1.7mil) payment from the government that is customarily given to women who exit the Imperial Family.

On October 26, hours after they formally registered their marriage, Mako and Kei held a press conference to address the media.

According to an English transcript by Japanese media outlet Nikkei Asia, Mako first expressed her sympathy to those who are suffering from the continued impact of the coronavirus”, before expressing her “heartfelt thanks” and “deep gratitude” to those who’ve shown her care and concern during her time as a member of the Imperial Family.

Addressing the controversy over her decision to wed Kei, she said: I understand there are various opinions about my marriage to Kei. We are very sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused. Also, I would like to express my gratitude to those who quietly supported us, and to those who backed Kei and I without being misled by information that isn't based on facts. Kei is irreplaceable to me. We had no choice but to get married in order to live our lives and be true to our hearts.”

Kei mirrored Mako’s statement, saying: I love Mako. I want to live my one-and-only life with someone I love. We have shared our feelings and encouraged each other through happy and not-so-happy times.”

He also apologised for the “inconvenience that the couple brought to every one with their marriage.

I feel very sad that over the past few years, Mako has become mentally and physically ill as a result of false information being treated as if it were true and continuous slander. My mother also suffered from mental and physical problems and was forced to quit her job, and now she lives feeling unsafe,” he said.

According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, the couple will first move into an apartment in Tokyo together, before moving to New York City, where they will reportedly stay in a single bedroom flat.

Kei is currently listed as a law clerk at a firm in New York — reports state that law firms often appoint new associates as law clerks while they await their bar results.

Photos: Channel News Asia/YouTube