On the 16th of May 2017, it was announced that Princess Mako (眞子さま), a 25-year-old Japanese Princess, had been engaged. Her marriage is expected in the next year. The Japanese people are happy and in a mood for celebration because of this good news. Princess Mako of Akishino (秋篠宮) is the first granddaughter of Emperor Akihito (明仁天皇), the reigning Emperor of Japan. She is famous for her beauty and intelligence. This article will provide more information on Princess Mako and her partner, one of the luckiest men on earth!
【ピックアップニュース】
▽秋篠宮ご夫妻の長女の眞子さま 大学時代の同級生の男性とご婚約へ▽京急線 ワイヤー切れた事故 清掃中に誤って切断▽米韓首脳会談 来月末に開催へ ほか 最新ニュースを動画と字幕で伝えます。https://t.co/zQaNBAAvPH pic.twitter.com/UoY6eig9Hr— NHKニュース (@nhk_news) May 16, 2017
Princess Mako is an active and intelligent princess. Much like her younger sister, Princess Kako (佳子さま), she is often admired for her elegant beauty. In addition to that, Princess Mako is broadly and internationally educated. Her home university is Tokyo’s (東京) International Christian University (ICU; 国際基督教大学), which is renowned for its focus on English education.
While she was a student of ICU, she went to Ireland and studied English for a month at University College Dublin in 2010. Then, in 2013, she studied at the University of Edinburgh as a study abroad student for one academic year. After her graduation from ICU, she entered the postgraduate school of the University of Leicester incognito and received a Master’s Degree in Art Museum and Gallery Studies.
Currently, she is taking a Ph.D. course of Arts and Science at ICU. At the same time, she is working as a visiting researcher at the JP Tower Museum INTERMEDIATHEQUE (インターメディアテク).
Princess Mako has been passionate about her royal duties since 2005 when she was still an adolescent. She was eager to perform her duty as the oldest of Emperor Akihito’s grandchildren. She accompanied her parents to some important cultural and public events.
Recently, utilizing her English proficiency, she attended several international meetings and paid official visits abroad. Princess Mako is also keen on charitable works. After the Great East Japan earthquake in 2011, she visited the Tohoku (東北) region in secret and supported the locals as one of the volunteer staff.
【特設:眞子さま 同級生とご婚約へ】秋篠宮ご夫妻の長女の眞子さまが婚約される見通しになりました。お相手の大学時代の同級生、小室圭さんが会見をしました。ゆかりの人や各界から祝福の声が寄せられています。https://t.co/o9yCbVXAfr pic.twitter.com/xCUgH55jpw
— NHKニュース (@nhk_news) May 17, 2017
Princess Mako’s fiancé is Mr. Kei Komuro who graduated from ICU just like her. They came to know each other since they both attended ICU’s study abroad meetings five years ago. Since then, they slowly nurtured their relationship.
Mr. Komuro is a young, handsome man with a brilliant smile. He was selected as the “Prince of the Shonan Enoshima Sea (湘南江の島海の王子)” in 2010 and publicized sightseeing in the Shonan (湘南) area for a year. He likes skiing and playing the violin. He is fluent in English, too, and scored a 950 in the TOEIC. He wishes to find a diplomatic job in the future.
When Princess Mako officially enters into matrimony, she will be removed from the Japanese Royal Family. For now, as a member of the Royal Family, she doesn’t have a surname. After marriage, she will take her husband’s last name and will be Mrs. Komuro.
At the moment, the Japanese Royal Family consists of 19 members. After Princess Mako’s marriage, that number will drop to 18. Some people are worried about the future of Japanese Royalty. Although Princess Mako will remain noble and elegant for the rest of her life, she will legally be an average Japanese citizen after her marriage.
Huge congratulations to the promising and good-looking couple! The Japanese people will certainly miss Princess Mako as a princess. Yet, her engagement and future are blessed and celebrated by everyone.