In July, Kei Komuro, the husband of the former japanese princess Mako Komuro, passed the New York State Bar Examination for the third time. Today, according to the organization’s website, Komuro has passed the exam and can now become a licensed attorney in New York. According to NHK, Komuro confirmed the news during a phone conversation with one of his mentors in Tokyo, the lawyer Okuno Yoshihiko.
Kei, a 2021 Fordham Law graduate, called to the bar last July, three months before he and Mako were to marry civilly in Tokyo. In November 2021, the couple moved to New York, where Kei found employment as a paralegal at a law firm. In February 2022, he again ran for the bar, unsuccessfully. For his part, Mako is said to have landed an internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and his writings on Japanese art have even been published on their website. Only one thing stood in the way of realizing their dream: Kei had to pass the bar in order to become a full-fledged lawyer in the city.
A controversial relationship
Mako and Kei’s relationship, which began when the couple were students at the International Christian University in Tokyo more than a decade ago, has been criticized by Japanese tabloids due to Komuro’s humble origins and reports about the family’s financial difficulties. Although the couple first announced their engagement in 2017, they put off the wedding for more than three years. When they finally tied the knot last October, a handful of people gathered in a park to protest the union.
Mako, daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and niece of theEmperor Naruhito, refused the $1.3 million payout usually given to women when they leave the family, and the tabloids speculated about their financial future.
A senior Imperial Household Agency official reportedly expressed relief over Kei passing the bar exam when contacted by the Japanese newspaper. Mainichi : “It is reassuring to see that the foundations for the future [du couple] finally fall into place”.
