Mixed few days for Kei Komuro
It’s been a mixed few days for law student Kei Komuro, who married a princess from one of the oldest monarchies in the world but reportedly failed the New York bar exam just days later.
Their marriage has the trappings of a modern fairytale; Komuro, the ‘commoner’ son of a single parent, wed the former Princess Mako of Japan in a ceremony last Tuesday and in so doing she renounced her royal status as required of women under Japanese law. The couple, both 30, were initially planning to live off his salary as a lawyer in New York.
Yet, reports over the weekend claim that Komuro failed to pass the NY bar exam he sat earlier this year. They claim his name does not appear in the latest pass list released by the exam’s organiser on Friday, just days after their marriage.
Of the 9,227 people who took the test, 5,791 passed, according to the examination board.
He’s expected to retake it, according to sources, possibly in February, and those who wish to sit the February exam must submit an application in November.
The couple, who met during their studies, were married last week in a registry office in Tokyo after the nuptials had been delayed for nearly three years. As a departing royal, the former princess was entitled to a one-off near million-pound payment, but is said to have refused the sum.
Komuro works as a law clerk in the New Jersey office of Lowenstein Sandler having graduated from Fordham University’s law school with a Juris Doctor degree in May.
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