Society

Crown princess declines to comment on daughter's postponed marriage

Sep 11 (Kyodo) - Crown Princess Kiko, who celebrated her 53rd birthday on Wednesday, said she does not wish to comment on the postponement of her eldest daughter's marriage to fiance Kei Komuro.

"I believe she (Princess Mako) is thinking through a lot of things. Under such circumstances, I would like to refrain from speaking on current or future matters, including speculating on my daughter's feelings," the crown princess said in a statement.

Princess Mako and Komuro announced their engagement in September 2017 and said their wedding would take place in November 2018, but the Imperial Household Agency announced in February last year that the couple will delay the event until 2020, citing "lack of time to prepare."

The decision followed a string of reports that Komuro's mother was involved in a money dispute with her former fiance, including over educational expenses for her son that the former fiance shouldered.

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