What happened to Japan’s ‘cute princess’ Gakko? Suddenly landing in the U.S. while going to Peru.

Princess Kako, the niece of Emperor Naruhito of Japan, who is nicknamed the ‘Pretty Princess’, was seen waving at Tokyo Haneda Airport on the 1st, before embarking on her tour to Peru. TBS Capture

Princess Kako, known as the ‘Pretty Princess’ in Japan and niece of Emperor Naruhito, has drawn attention over whether she will meet her sister, Komuro Mako, who lives in New York, while she is staying in Houston, U.S., due to an airplane malfunction during her tour to Peru. Mako gave up her royal status and moved to New York after marrying a commoner without a wedding ceremony in October 2021.

According to Asahi Shimbun, the Imperial Household Agency, which manages the affairs of the Japanese royal family, announced on February 2nd that the United Airlines plane Princess Kako boarded at Houston Airport, a stopover on her tour to Peru, had to return due to a malfunction discovered during the flight. She boarded a replacement plane, but the takeoff was halted due to an engine problem before departure. As a result, Princess Kako is staying at a hotel in Houston, U.S. Her schedule was delayed by a day and she is set to depart for Peru at 6:45 a.m. on February 4th (local time) and is expected to arrive at Lima Airport at around 1 p.m. on the same day. Various events she was scheduled to attend are being rescheduled.

In light of this, some speculate that Princess Kako might meet her sister Mako, who currently resides in New York.

Mako married in an unprecedented way for a royal, only registering her marriage due to public opposition stemming from privacy issues related to her husband’s family in October 2021, and then held a press conference. Mako’s husband, Kei Komuro, passed the bar exam after three attempts and is currently working as a lawyer in New York. At that time, Princess Kako was known to have supported her sister’s marriage and stood by Mako’s side.