Princess Mako, the niece of Emperor Naruhito, said Friday her marriage to Kei Komuro, her partner from university days, is a "necessary choice" for the couple, but that the date of their wedding is still undecided.
"It is still difficult to announce something specific at this time, but we will consult with our families in order to proceed with the marriage," she said in a statement released by the Imperial Household Agency.
Mako, 29, and Komuro announced their plan to get engaged in September 2017, with their wedding originally scheduled to take place in November 2018.
But the agency said in February 2018 their marriage would be postponed until 2020, following reports of a dispute between Komuro's mother and her former fiance over money, including her 29-year-old son's educational costs, which the man shouldered.
At that time, the princess said she "came to realize the lack of time to make sufficient preparations."
The message released by the agency came after the princess' father Crown Prince Akishino, the emperor's younger brother, was declared first in line to the chrysanthemum throne in a ceremony earlier this month.
In November last year, the crown prince urged his elder daughter to update the public on her wedding plans, saying in a news conference held on the occasion of his birthday, "I believe something must be announced about it."