Former Princess of Japan who gave up royal title to marry a commoner secretly welcomes first child: report

Mako Komuro, the former princess of Japan, has secretly welcomed her first child with husband Kei Komuro.

Updated on: May 29, 2025, 13:46:07 IST

By Sanya Jain

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Mako Komuro, the former princess of Japan, has secretly welcomed her first child with husband Kei Komuro. Mako gave up her royal title to marry Kei, a commoner, in 2021 and the couple subsequently moved to the United States. A report in Josei Seven, published on May 22, 2025, said that the former Japanese royal had given birth to a child in secret.

Japan's former princess, Mako, with husband Kei Komuro (AP)

News of the birth comes after several Japanese websites like Weekly Shincho and Daily Shincho reported in March that Mako, 33, had been spotted dressed in loose clothes while shopping in New York.

NEWS Post Seven later reported that the couple had been spotted pushing a stroller, further fueling rumours of a birth in the Japanese imperial family.

The baby is the first great-grandchild for Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. However, there has been no official announcement from the Imperial House of Japan.

Who is Mako Komuro, the former princess of Japan?

Mako Komuro, formerly known as Princess Mako of Akishino, is a former member of Japan’s Imperial Family. She was born on 23 October 1991, the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito (Prince Akishino) and Crown Princess Kiko.

Why did she give up her royal status?

Mako gave up her royal status and title to marry a commoner - her college sweetheart, Kei Komuro. The two had met as students at International Christian University in Tokyo and dated for several years before tying the knot.

As per Japanese imperial law, women must give up their royal status if they marry outside the imperial family. The same rule does not apply to male members of the imperial family, as per a BBC report.

Mako declined a one-million-dollar payout from taxpayer-funded money, to which she was entitled as a departing royal. After their low-key wedding, which marked Mako’s formal departure from the royal family, the couple moved to New York, where Kei works as a lawyer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanya Jain
Sanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience - from viral videos to human interest copies that spark conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sanya spent two years with Moneycontrol and five years with NDTV. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a master’s in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai. Sanya has a sharp eye for spotting emerging trends and looking for newsworthy angles to elevate viral posts into meaningful narratives. She was the first one, for example, to cover Narayana Murthy’s remark on 70-hour work weeks that sparked a national conversation. She is equally at ease writing about business leaders as about the common man, about issues of national importance and memes that amuse social media. Sanya enjoys speaking with content creators, newsmakers and entrepreneurs to transform everyday moments into engaging, slice-of-life stories that resonate with readers. When she is not working, Sanya can be found curled up with a good book. Born and raised in Lucknow, she has spent the last several years in Delhi. She is deeply interested in animal welfare and now spends a lot of her time running after her destructive orange cat.Read More

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