Japanese princess forfeits her royalty to marry a commoner

Princess Mako.
(Image credit: NORBERTO DUARTE/AFP/Getty Images)

Japan's Princess Mako has decided to give up her royal status to marry law firm worker Kei Komuro, BBC reports. Princess Mako and Komuro are both 25 and met in college.

"Now we all know that an important imperial family member will be lost with the engagement of Princess Mako," legal history professor Isao Tokoro told The New York Times. "It is urgent that the system should be reformed so that female members can remain in the imperial family. Otherwise, we will lose more and more members from the imperial family."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.