Japan princess to wed commoner, quit royal family

The announcement was aired by public broadcaster NHK. Mako is one of only four royal grandchildren. The other three are her younger sister, Kako, her brother, Hisahito, and crown prince Naruhito’s daughter, Aiko. The shrinking royal population, which mirrors the broader aging of the Japanese society, has raised concerns that the prince may also be the last. 

Ten-year-old Hisahito is one of four heirs to the throne behind Akihito’s two middle-aged sons, whose wives are in their early 50s, and Akihito’s octogenarian brother, Masahito. 

The engagement to Kei Komuro, who works in a Tokyo law office, comes after Japanese lawmakers in June approved a bill to allow Akihito to step down, the first abdication by a Japanese monarch since 1817.