The Unusual Marriage Press Conference…For Mako’s Sake, I Wanted to Hear “Kei’s Words

“Please accept our best wishes.

The wedding press conference of Mako and Kei Komuro began with the two of them greeting each other in unison. The day before, the Imperial Household Agency announced that the question and answer session would be cancelled.

The press conference, which lasted about 12 minutes, consisted of Mako and Komuro answering questions submitted in advance and then reading out the text after handing out materials to the interviewers. It was truly an “unusual” wedding press conference.

Tsuneyasu Takeda, a writer and the grandson of Emperor Meiji, updated his Twitter account after the press conference and said

I still think it would have been better not to hold this press conference.

I think it was better not to hold this press conference after all…” He expressed his harsh opinion on the unusual press conference.

Initially, Mako and Komuro were scheduled to give verbal answers at a press conference after their marriage, and the Imperial Household Agency’s Imperial Heir apparent was to preside over the conference.

“The press conference was closely watched to see if there would be any comments about the Komuro family’s troubles, and public opinion was of the opinion that the two should give a full and convincing explanation. The public opinion was that she should give a full and convincing explanation. However, Mako said that she was strongly shocked when she read through the questions in advance, so the question and answer session was cancelled. So there was no more room for answers. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed. Some people said it was like being invited to a mere photo session,” said a TV station insider.

It wasn’t just the reporters. Since the press conference was held at a hotel near the Imperial Palace, a strict security system was in place. If the press conference was to be held without a question-and-answer session, it would have been better to just use the document from the beginning.

“According to the announcement from the Imperial Household Agency, Mako was considering whether it would be possible to give a verbal answer until the last minute, but it seems that she could not dispel her strong anxiety. However, many people were still uncomfortable with the decision to change the date the day before. Some people said, “Kei Komuro could have stayed behind to answer questions after the two-shot press conference,” said an imperial family journalist.

Now that the press conference is over, it is unlikely that the two will appear together in public again. In order for Mr. Komuro to protect Mako, it might have been better for him to hold a “solo press conference” after the press conference with the two of them together.