Japanese princess’s fiancé returns for delayed marriage

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Princess Mako’s fiancé has returned to Japan for their marriage, which was suspended for more than three years because of a financial dispute involving his mother. Kei Komuro arrived from New York, where he studied law and plans to work as a lawyer, with his hair in a ponytail, a bold statement by Japanese standards for someone marrying a princess in the tradition-bound imperial family. Mako, a niece of Emperor Naruhito, met Komuro at Tokyo’s International Christian University, where they were classmates. The financial dispute involved whether money his mother received from her former fiancé and spent on Komuro’s education was a loan or a gift. The dispute was an embarrassment for the imperial family and divided public opinion.