Engagement and Marriage
On 30 December 2004, the Imperial Household Agency announced the engagement of Princess Nori to Yoshiki Kuroda, a 40-year-old urban designer with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and a longtime friend of Prince Akishino. Upon her marriage, which took place at the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo on 15 November 2005, Princess Nori left the Imperial Family, taking the surname of her husband, the first commoner of non-aristocratic background to marry an Imperial Princess. These changes in her status are demanded by a 1947 law that requires female members of the Imperial Family to relinquish their birth position, official membership in the Imperial Family, and allowance upon their marriage. Her parents, the Emperor and Empress, were in attendance at the wedding, as were Crown Prince Naruhito, Crown Princess Masako and other members of the Imperial Family.
Kuroda resigned from her job as an ornithologist in order to focus on her family life and potential motherhood. While she will no longer be entitled to an imperial allowance, she reportedly received a dowry of over one million dollars.
Read more about this topic: Sayako Kuroda
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