Ex-Japanese Princess Moves To Hell's Kitchen: Report

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — One of Hell's Kitchen's newest residents just moved in from out of state — but she's got a more interesting backstory than most transplants.

Mako Komuro, formerly known as Princess Mako was until last month one of the highest-ranking members of Japan's royal family, as niece of Emperor Naruhito. On Oct. 26, she married a commoner — a 30-year-old lawyer named Kei Komuro — forcing her to give up her title and prompting her to leave the country altogether.

On Sunday, Mako, also 30, landed at JFK Airport with her husband to begin their new life in New York. Hours later, the Daily Mail reported that the newlyweds had moved into their new digs: a luxury apartment building in the West Fifties near 10th Avenue.

The couple's one-bedroom rental costs about $4,800 per month, the Daily Mail reported. It's familiar territory for Mr. Komuro, who graduated in May from nearby Fordham University Law School.

Their arrival in the U.S. may represent the end of a nightmarish process for Mako and Kei, who have been hounded by the Japanese press for years amid widespread public disapproval of their marriage. Much of that opposition stemmed from reports that his mother owed about $36,000 to an ex-fiancé, prompting accusations that he was marrying Mako only for status.

The couple plans to live financially independently. Kei Komuro is currently a clerk at a Midtown law firm and is awaiting his results on the New York state bar exam, according to multiple reports.

"For me, Kei-san is a priceless person," the former princess said in a news conference in Tokyo last month. "For us, our marriage was a necessary choice to live while cherishing our hearts"