Princess Nori, 36, the only daughter of the Emperor and Empress, and Mr. Yoshiki Kuroda, 40, an urban planning official at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, were married in a Shintoist ceremony on Tuesday. For the princess, it marked the start of a new life as an ordinary citizen. She is now Mrs. Sayako Kuroda. We offer our warmest wishes and congratulations to her and Mr. Kuroda on their marriage, to the Emperor and Empress, and to Ms. Sumiko Kuroda, the mother of Mr. Kuroda.
The Emperor's words to Princess Nori when she visited him on Saturday were appropriate for the new couple: He hoped that his daughter would further nurture what she has cultivated in her life and that the two would unite their efforts to build a joyful family and carry out their responsibilities as members of society.
This is the first time that a daughter of an Imperial couple has married since 1960, when Princess Suga, the fifth daughter of the Emperor Showa and the Empress Nagako, married Mr. Hisanaga Shimazu. Her daughter's marriage must have filled the Empress with deep emotion. The Empress had been a commoner herself before becoming a member of the Imperial family. Now the Empress is seeing her daughter start a new life as a commoner as the wife of a salaried worker.