Japan’s Princess Ayako has surrendered her royal title after marrying a commoner in Tokyo yesterday.
The 28-year-old princess, the third daughter of Emperor Akihito’s late cousin Prince Takamado, lost her status after her wedding to Kei Moriya, a 32-year-old employee at a shipping company.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The private ceremony was held on Monday morning at the Meiji Shrine, where hundreds of well-wishers gathered to see the bride and groom arrive.
Ayako wore a light yellow kimono embroidered with pink flowers and green leaves and a deep purple hakama - wide-legged pleated trousers that fall to the ankles, CNN reports.
Moriya opted for a western style western-style black morning coat, grey pin-striped trousers and a silk hat that belonged to Ayako’s late father, Prince Takamodo, the news site adds.
“I’m filled with joy to get married and to have so many people visit us at the Meiji Shrine and congratulate us,” the bride told reporters after the wedding.
According to the Japan Times, Ayako will receive ¥107 million (£740,000) “in order to maintain her high standard of living even after she loses her royal status.”
With only four male heirs to the throne currently living, the shrinking size of the royal family “has raised concerns and calls for changes in the Imperial Succession Law, but conservatives are deeply resistant to allowing females to inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne”, Reuters reports.
-
Helsinki's year of zero road fatalitiesUnder the Radar Finland's 'Vision Zero' safety strategy 'shifts responsibility for crashes from road users to the designers of the road system'
-
Critics' choice: Outstanding new Japanese restaurantsFeature An all-women sushi team, a 15-seat listening bar, and more
-
Why do Dana White and Donald Trump keep pushing for a White House UFC match?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The president and the sports mogul each have their own reasons for wanting a White House spectacle
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
US and Japan strike trade dealSpeed Read Trump signed what he's calling the 'largest deal ever made'
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
A manga predicting a natural disaster is affecting tourism to JapanUnder the Radar The 1999 book originally warned of a disaster that would befall Japan in 2011 — a prophecy that came true
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Japan is opening up to immigration – but is it welcoming immigrants?Under the Radar Plummeting birth rates and ageing population leaves closed-off country 'no choice' but to admit foreign workers, but tensions are growing with newly arrived Muslims
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
The Japanese rice crisisUnder The Radar Japan's staple food is in short supply and everything from bad harvests to rising tourist numbers is being blamed
