Princess Nori, the only daughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, underwent one of the traditional rites Wednesday leading up to her wedding, with the Imperial Palace formally setting the date of her marriage to Tokyo Metropolitan Government employee Yoshiki Kuroda.
The government announced in May their wedding ceremony and reception will take place Nov. 15. On Wednesday, the palace held one of a series of rituals in the process called Kokki no Gi, or the Rite of Announcing the Date.
Kuroda's cousin, Naoyuki Kuroda, 54, acted as messenger and visited the residence of the Emperor and Empress to notify Shingo Haketa, grand steward of the Imperial Household, of the date of the wedding of the Imperial Couple's 36-year-old daughter to the 40-year-old civil servant.