Princess Mako
Your new life starts differently than planned
Princess Mako
© KAZUHIRO NOGI / AFP / Getty Images
Even after her wedding, Princess Mako doesn’t seem to be able to breathe easy. Husband Kei Komuro failed his bar exam in New York, as reported by Japanese media unanimously.
Princess Mako, 30, and Kei Komuro, 30, wanted to finally look ahead after their long-awaited and hotly debated wedding and put an end to the past. But the new start doesn’t seem to be that easy for the newlyweds. As reported by Japanese media, including the radio NHK, Komuro failed his bar exam in New York State.
Serious setback for Kei Komuro
According to reports, the exam results were said to have been posted on October 29, 2021, just three days after Mako and Kei’s wedding, on the New York State Board of Law Examiners website. Komuro’s name was not among the successful candidates. Shortly afterwards, the 30-year-old is said to have informed the lawyer Okuno Yoshihiko, head of a law firm in Japan where Komuro once worked, of his result.
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Kei Komuro graduated from Fordham University School of Law in May 2021 and passed the bar exam in New York a few weeks later in the summer. Unfortunately unsuccessful. But giving up is out of the question for the 30-year-old. According to the Japanese broadcaster NHK, Komuro had told lawyer Okuno Yoshihiko that he wanted to continue studying and retake the exam in February. In the meantime, Princess Mako promised to continue supporting her husband’s studies.
In the USA, despite having completed a law school, it is not allowed to work as a lawyer. Graduates are only admitted if they have successfully passed the bar exam in their state.
Princess Mako: New life in a one-room apartment
Princess Mako and Kei Komuro officially announced their engagement four years ago, but Mako’s father’s permission to marry was a long time coming. The reason: Kei Komuro’s family was involved in a financial scandal, and the imperial family feared that the princess’s friend was only after their money. In addition, Komuro is bourgeois, an absolute no-go for the Japanese royal family. But Princess Mako stuck to her love and voluntarily waived the traditional government payout of 1.3 million US dollars (around 1.1 million euros) and gave up her title of nobility. Her name is now Ms. Mako Komuro.
“I just want to lead a quiet life in my new surroundings,” said Princess Mako at a press conference after their civil wedding on October 26, 2021. According to various media reports, their new surroundings will be a one-room apartment in New York, which the couple named after his I want to leave Japan for the time being. At the moment, Mako and Kei are said to be still in Tokyo.
Sources used: nhk.or.jp, dailymail.co.uk, anwaltsblatt.anwaltverein.de