Kei Komuro, Husband to Japan's Former Princess Mako, Passes the N.Y. Bar Exam on His Third Attempt

Peter Mikelbank
·3 min read
23
TOKYO, JAPAN - OCTOBER 26: Princess Mako (not pictured), the elder daughter of Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, and her husband Kei Komuro, a university friend of Princess Mako, deliver a speech during a press conference to announce their wedding at Grand Arc Hotel on October 26, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Princess Mako married Kei Komuro today at a registry office following a relationship beset with controversy following the revelation that Mr Komuro’s mother was embroiled in a financial dispute with a former fiancé. Following the wedding, Mako will renounce her royal entitlements and move with Komuro to New York. (Photo by Nicolas Datiche - Pool/Getty Images)
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Nicolas Datiche - Pool/Getty

There's officially some royal order in the court.

After three attempts, Japan's former Princess Mako's husband, Kei Komuro, passed the N.Y. State bar exam, according to results posted online.

Komuro, 31, the husband of the one-time princess who relinquished her titles for love, successfully passed his bar exam on his third try after he retook the test back in July.

According to Japanese news outlet NHK, Komuro confirmed the news on a phone call with his former employer.

RELATED: Japan's Former Princess Mako Lands New Job in N.Y.C. After Giving Up Titles to Marry for Love

The broadcaster quoted Tokyo-based attorney Okuno Yoshihiko as saying he received a call on Friday, in which Komuro expressed his gratitude to his mentor. "This time, he passed," Okuno said, adding that Komuro expressed gratitude and pride in becoming "a member of the lawyers' community" and pledged "to study harder as a lawyer."

Komuro, who currently clerks in a New York firm, was also quoted as telling his former boss: "I'm really happy. Thank you very much."

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Mandatory Credit: Photo by Shizuo Kambayashi/AP/Shutterstock (13484511a) Japan's Princess Mako and her fiance Kei Komuro look at each other during a press conference at Akasaka East Residence in Tokyo on . Komuro has passed the New York bar exam, defying detractors back home who had criticized their romance Former Princess, Tokyo, Japan - 03 Sep 2017

Shizuo Kambayashi/AP/Shutterstock

RELATED: Japan's Former Princess Mako Steps Out with Husband After Giving up Her Titles and Moving to N.Y.C.

Approximately 9,600 candidates, including repeat applicants, sat during the July exam earlier this year.

According to the N.Y. State Board of Law Examiners, 6,350 of them passed. The success rate for first-time takers was 85 percent and 23 percent for repeat candidates.

Komuro, who attended law school at New York's Fordham University Law, has been serving as a legal assistant since his May 2021 graduation.

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Komuro and the niece of Emperor Naruhito were married last October in an unconventionally low-profile service. The couple left the country immediately following the service, relocating to Manhattan.

The pair first met while attending a study-abroad event at a Tokyo restaurant in Shibuya, a district in the city. They were both students at the International Christian University in Tokyo at the time.

The royal household announced the couple's decision to wed in September 2017. The date was postponed, however, following a controversy involving Komuro's mother and a former fiancé, who financed Komuro's education.

RELATED VIDEO: Princess Mako Officially Leaves Her Royal Status to Marry a Commoner with a 'Bright Smile'

Because Japanese law requires a princess to "leave the imperial family upon marriage to a commoner," former Princess Mako, 30, relinquished her royal titles to marry Komuro during their fall 2021 wedding.

Amid the controversy surrounding their marriage, Mako skipped the traditional rites and also refused a $1.3 million government payout traditionally paid to women losing royal status when they wed.

Following their low-profile marriage, the Emperor's niece moved to the U.S., and in April it was reported that the former princess, who holds a master's degree from England Leicester University in Gallery Arts, was working as an unpaid volunteer at a New York museum.