Japan's crown prince Fumihito 'approves' Princess Mako's wedding to commoner on one condition

The JapaneseCrown Prince Fumihito has given a green signal to his daughter'sPrincess Mako's wish to marry her university boyfriend Kei Komuro. However, he has a condition for the to-be-groom.

"I mean, I approve of them getting married. The Constitution says marriage shall be based only on the mutual consent of both sexes. If that is what they really want, then I think that is something I need to respect as a parent," the Prince said in a press conference in Tokyo.

While he was happy to approve of the happy couple, he has demanded thatKomuro's mother will have to, first, resolvea money dispute that she is involved in first. The couple was scheduled to get married in 2018 but that did not happen which,as perreports, was due to disputes betweenKomuro’s mother and her former fiancé over money.

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The Prince also cleared the air surrounding the date of the wedding. He claimed no schedule has been initiated yet, and nothing will be decided till the money disputes are settled. "In order for many people to be convinced and celebrate (the marriage), I have said it is important for the issue to be dealt with."

He also took a hit at his daughter's reportedlydeclining popularity in the public after she took the decision to marry her university sweetheart. "From my point of view, I think they are not in a situation where many people are convinced and pleased (about their marriage)," the Prince said.

While he appreciated the efforts taken by Komuro, he added that they need to resolve the dispute completely and gain forgiveness and confidence of the general public. "One thing I can say for certain is that even if you take some measures to address the issue, it is necessary for (the efforts) to be visible," he said.

He has also urged the couple to make their wedding plans public, and let everyone know all the developments from here on. The Princess, meanwhile, has claimed that the wedding, which was originally announced in 2017, is a "necessary choice" for the couple, even though "some people are negative" about it.

Once the Princess is married to Komuro, she will have to abandon her royal status, as under the Japanese law, the females of theimperial family have to denounce their royal status if they marry a commoner.