Princess Mako of Japan renounced his Royal status - in the name of love. The couple met 5 years ago being a student of International Christian University in Tokyo, according to national broadcaster NHK.

Centuries-old Imperial law of Japan requires that the Princess left the Imperial family upon marriage to a commoner. The latter did aunt Princess Mako, Sayako, the only daughter of the Emperor Akito when she married urban planner Yoshiki Kuroda in 2005. The event will not be official until the ceremonial exchange of gifts, but the news has caused concern about the declining size of the Imperial family, which currently has 19 members, 14 of whom are women.

Imperial law permits the transfer of the throne only to male heirs, of which there are three: the crown Prince of Naruhito, his younger brother crown Prince Akishino and son, Akishino, Prince, Hisahito. In addition to Princess Mako, there are still 6 unmarried princesses, who will also lose his Royal status if marrying commoners. This gave rise to the possibility that the Imperial family would not be enough members to continue to perform their public duties.

Last summer, the 83-year-old Emperor Akihito expressed concern that his advanced age may begin to affect his ability to rule. Imperial law requires the Emperor to serve for life, but ad Akihito changed the plans of the Japanese Parliament to allow the Emperor to retire if he wants. The bill of abdication of the Emperor should be submitted for consideration to both the upper and lower houses of Parliament this week.

On Wednesday, Japanese media focused on the man who stole the heart of Princess Mako. Journalists camped in front of the bar offices, where K Komuro works as a paralegal. Komuro refused to answer questions about the engagement, telling reporters: "I would like to talk about it when the time comes".

The reaction of the public as a whole is positive, but some question that the upcoming marriage will mean for the future of the monarchy.
sections: Society, World News