Japanese princess renounces royal status to marry commoner

The country's imperial family is dwindling, leading to calls for constitutional change

Princess Mako and her fiance Kei Komuro announcing their engagement
(Image credit: Shizuo Kambayashi /AFP/Getty Images)

Japan's Princess Mako has announced she is to reliquish her royal status to marry a commoner.

The eldest grandchild of Japan's current Emperor Akihito has been given permission to wed her former university classmate Kei Komuro.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Sign up
Explore More