Japanese Princess to Marry Gov't Official

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TOKYO - Japan's Princess Sayako, the only daughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, will announce her intentions to marry a 39-year-old city government official in the coming weeks, an official said Sunday.

Sayako, 35, also known by her royal title Norinomiya, and her husband-to-be, Yoshiki Kuroda, have already received the blessings of the emperor and empress, public broadcaster NHK TV said Sunday. The national Asahi newspaper carried a similar report.

The Imperial Household Agency said the couple, who were classmates at Tokyo's elite Gakushuin University, were initially to be engaged earlier this month. But they delayed the announcement out of respect for victims of last month's powerful earthquake in northern Japan and typhoons across the country earlier this year, an agency official, Shingo Haketa, told reporters.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041114/ap_on_re_as/japan_princess_engagement