Japan princess sets date to wed commoner despite dispute involving future mother-in-law

Japanese Princess Mako and her fiance are tying the knot next month but no wedding ceremonies are planned.

Their marriage is not fully supported by the public because of a financial dispute involving her future mother-in-law, the palace announced Friday.

The controversy involving Mako fiance Kei Komuro's mother is an embarrassment for the imperial family and led to public rebuke that delayed their marriage for more than three years.

Komuro, 29, returned to Japan last week from New York, where he was studying to become a lawyer. His hair, tied in a ponytail, was considered a bold statement for someone marrying a princess in the tradition-bound family and only added to the criticism.

The couple will register their marriage on Oct. 26 and will have a news conference together, the Imperial Household Agency said. They are expected to start a new life together in New York later this year.