Former Princess Mako’s “ordinary” husband Kay Komuro dressed comfortably as he tried to pass the New York State Bar Exam on the second day of the test – after failing his first attempt just months before his sensational partner left the Japanese. Royal family to start a new life with him in the United States.
Mako, 30, the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and niece of the ruling Emperor Naruhito, relinquished her royal title to marry “ordinary” Komuro last October in a small civil ceremony.
The couple, who were engaged for eight years before marrying, have since moved into a one-bedroom apartment in New York City, where Komuro works for New Jersey-based Lowenstein Sandler LLP.
Komuro first took the bar exam in New York last July, three months before his wedding to Mako, but it was revealed in November that he had failed.
He is now making a second attempt at qualifying, with photographers catching him entering a testing center in New York on Wednesday to appear in the second half of the two-day exam, with the novice lawyer showing a very casual demonstration in denim, button-down shirt, wide , navy blue pants and a pair of colorful Vans sneakers with a Star Wars theme.
Former Princess Mako’s “ordinary” husband Kay Komuro dressed comfortably as he tried to pass the New York State Bar Exam on the second day of Wednesday’s test
Photographers caught him entering the second day of the denim test, button-down shirt, baggy, dark pants and a pair of colorful Star Wars-themed Vans
Komuro also showed a sharp new look – with his hair usually cut much longer and tucked in a ponytail – while holding a coffee cup and wearing a white face mask.
If Komuro felt more confident in his performance during his last exam, he certainly didn’t show it; the novice lawyer looked incredibly gloomy as he entered the building.
Komuro also showed a sharp new look – with his hair usually much longer and tucked in a ponytail – while holding a coffee cup and wearing a white face mask.
The casual ensemble and long hairstyle are a remarkable change from the black suit and tie that Komuro wore during his wedding to Mako four months ago.
The day before, Komuro had been seen leaving the first part of the exam. This time he wore almost the same outfit, but added a dark green Tommy Hilfiger jacket to keep warm.
He also carried a black-and-white bag over his shoulder as he exited the test center and waited for Uber to arrive.
The casual ensemble and long hairstyle are a remarkable change from the black suit and tie that Komuro wore during his wedding to Mako four months ago.
Komuro Star Wars sneakers cost $ 170
The day before, Komuro had been seen leaving the first part of the exam. This time he wore almost the same outfit, but added a Tommy Hilfiger down jacket to keep him warm.
If Komuro (pictured Tuesday) felt more confident in his performance during his final exam, he didn’t show it; the novice lawyer looked incredibly gloomy as he left the building
Komuro’s last attempt to take the bar exam came less than a year after he first took the test in July 2021, when he had the opportunity to take the test remotely. This time there was no remote option for the candidates.
As he did last year, Komuro will now face a torturous wait of several months before finding out whether his second attempt at an exam was successful or not; Candidates who take the test in February usually receive their results only in April, which means that Komuro will not know whether he has passed or failed for another two months.
The results of the July 2021 exam were published on the website of the State Board of State Law Examiners last November. Komuro’s name was not among the successful candidates.
According to the Japanese TV operator NHKKomuro called lawyer Okuno Yoshihiko, the head of a company in Japan where he had worked before, to tell him he had failed the exam.
If he fails again, Komuro will have to wait until July this year to retake the exam, which is only offered twice a year.
He is able to take the test as many times as he wants until he passes – because the state of New York does not impose a limit on the number of attempts that the candidate can make.
Mako, 30, relinquished her royal title to marry the “simple-minded” Komuro last October in a small civil ceremony after being engaged for eight years. They are in the wedding photo
The lawyer has adopted a much more casual look since moving to New York, and he is growing his hair away from the haircut style he had at his wedding (pictured).
Komuro was raised by his widowed mother, Cayo. His father died when he was still in elementary school. His work in Japan included working in a bank and a French restaurant.
He met Mako in 2013, when they were both studying at the International Christian University outside Tokyo.
The couple, both now 30, got engaged “unofficially” in 2017 and planned to get married in November 2018.
The news was initially greeted with delight in Japan, but then a scandal erupted when it was revealed that Kayo had not repaid a loan of 4 million yen ($ 35,000) from her ex-fiancé, in part to pay for her son’s education.
This has led critics to believe that Komuro married the princess only for money or fame.
Komuro issued a 24-page explanation of the money – claiming it was a gift, not a loan. In the end, he said he would return it, although it is not known if the money was returned.
But despite the turmoil Kay and Mako’s love endured, in 2020 the former princess asked the Japanese public to support her decision.
“We are indispensable for each other – someone to rely on in both happy and unhappy moments,” she said, announcing that the wedding would continue.
“So marriage is a necessary choice to live while valuing and protecting our feelings.”
Mako and Komuro (pictured in November) moved to New York just a few weeks after they got married, and they have since adjusted to their new lives as “commoners.”
Komuro has not lived in Japan for three years – moving to New York shortly after their marriage was postponed for the first time.
He studied law at Fordham University in the Bronx and then got a job as a clerk at Lowenstein Sandler in Manhattan, advising companies and investors on venture capital financing, mergers and acquisitions.
Only members of the Japanese imperial family have the right to marry “commoners”, so Mako’s decision to marry for love means a lot of new things to her.
For a start, she is no longer considered a princess – and even if the marriage ends in divorce, she can never return to the family.
For the first time in her life, she has a last name and will be known as Mako Komuro.
She will also have to apply for a passport – royals do not need it – to be able to move to the United States.
She can no longer live in the Imperial Palace, and all the sons the couple has will not be in the line of inheritance of imperial power for men alone.
This is a potential problem for Japan – where there are now only three people allowed by the Imperial Household Act to succeed 61-year-old Emperor Naruhito – and one of them, his uncle Masohito, is 85 years old.
The other two are Nauruhito’s 55-year-old brother, Akishino, Mako’s father, and Mako’s brother, Hisahito, 15.
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Komuro was raised by a single mother, with some media outlets reporting that part of his education was funded by his mother’s ex-fiancé.
At one point, he made money working to promote tourism near Tokyo.
Problems erupted months after he and Mako announced their engagement in 2017, when tabloids reported a financial dispute between Komuro’s mother and her ex-boyfriend, with the man claiming that the mother and son had failed to pay about $ 35,000 in debt. .
Komuro later said the money was a gift, not a loan. But in 2021, he presented a 24-page explanation and later announced that he would pay for a settlement.
In September 2018, he went to study at Fordham University in New York and did not return until September this year, after graduating from law school and starting work at a New York law firm.
When he returned to Japan, he was dressed casually and with long hair pulled back in a ponytail, causing media frenzy because he was considered “disrespectful.”
But on Tuesday morning, trimmed with a ponytail and dressed in a fresh dark suit and tie, he set out to pick up his bride. Most of his face was covered in a mask according to the Japanese coronavirus protocol, but he looked happy.