Japan's Princess Mako visited the graves of her great-grandparents in Tokyo on Tuesday to offer prayers ahead of her controversy-hit marriage to boyfriend Kei Komuro later this month.
The visit was made at the request of the 29-year-old princess, a niece of Emperor Naruhito, who is set to go ahead with the marriage that was imperiled by a financial dispute involving Komuro's mother.
Princess Mako will skip the traditional wedding rites, the first time a female member of the royal family has done so in postwar Japan. Under the current rules, women lose their royal status once they marry a commoner.
Wearing a gray dress and a white face mask on a rainy day in the Japanese capital, Princess Mako bowed deeply in front of the mausoleums of Emperor Showa and his wife Empress Kojun and bowed to the press before leaving the site.
About 100 people gathered at the entrance of the Musashino Imperial Graveyard in Tokyo's Hachioji city to catch a glimpse of the princess, who will be leaving the imperial household upon marrying Komuro on Oct 26.
As Komuro, who arrived in Japan last month from the United States, completed a two-week coronavirus quarantine period Monday, he and the princess are expected to start preparing for the marriage registration. Komuro works at a law firm in New York.
Due to public concern about the Komuro family's financial dispute, which led many to oppose the couple's marriage, the Imperial Household Agency said the traditional ceremonies associated with royal family members' weddings would not be held.
Source: ANNnewsCH
