Princess Mako and Kei Komuro are seen in this file photo of a press conference to announce their unofficial engagement, at the Akasaka East Palace in Minato Ward, Tokyo, on Sept. 3, 2017. (Pool photo)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's Princess Mako married her commoner boyfriend Kei Komuro on Tuesday, the Imperial Household Agency said, after years of controversy over a financial dispute involving his mother that led the couple to forgo traditional ceremonies associated with a royal marriage.

       The agency submitted legal paperwork to register the couple's marriage on their behalf, four years since their relationship was made public.

       The newlyweds, both 30, were initially scheduled to hold a press conference at a Tokyo hotel from 2 p.m., but they opted to only give opening remarks and to distribute written answers to five selected questions submitted in advance by the media.

       The decision was made as the princess, who has been suffering from a mental health condition following a string of media reports about the financial dispute, "feels a strong sense of anxiety" imagining having to answer questions verbally, the agency said in a sudden announcement on Monday night.

       Princess Mako, a niece of Emperor Naruhito, became Mako Komuro under a family registry with Komuro.

       She has to relinquish her royal status as the Imperial House Law stipulates that a female imperial member must abandon her title if she marries a commoner. The agency will officially register her departure on the record of imperial lineage on Wednesday.

       The princess, who left her family's imperial residence Tuesday morning, is set to stay in a Tokyo condominium while preparing to move to New York, where Komuro works at a law firm.

       Wearing a light green dress and holding a bouquet of flowers, Princess Mako bowed several times to her parents -- Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko -- and her younger sister Princess Kako as she left the residence in Tokyo at around 10 a.m.

       The sisters hugged each other before Princess Mako got inside a car and left for a Tokyo hotel to face the press with her husband, while her family kept waving to the princess until she was out of sight. Some 10 agency officials also sent her off.

       Since Japanese imperial family members do not have passports, the princess needs to apply for hers as an ordinary citizen. She is expected to leave for the United States next month at the earliest.

       In light of the controversy over the marriage due to the still-unresolved money dispute between Komuro's mother and her former fiance, a series of traditional ceremonies associated with imperial members' weddings were not held.

       While female royal family members traditionally receive a lump-sum payment of up to around 150 million yen ($1.3 million) drawn from the country's tax coffers upon their departure from the imperial household, the agency said it has accepted Princess Mako's request to decline the payment.

       The unprecedented decisions came as Crown Prince Fumihito, the father of the princess, maintains the view that many Japanese people remain unconvinced by the marriage and therefore the traditional ceremonies cannot be held, according to the agency.

       The couple's marriage has come under intense public scrutiny as Komuro has so far failed to convince a vocal section of the Japanese population how his family would resolve the dispute over 4 million yen, which includes money spent on his education.

       With tabloid magazines and TV talk shows obsessing over the issue, the couple and their families have been the target of constant criticism on social media.

       The agency revealed earlier this month that Princess Mako has been diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder caused by what she described as psychological abuse the couple and their families received.

       The couple met each other in person last week for the first time since Komuro left for New York in August 2018 to study at Fordham University's law school. He graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in May this year.

       Komuro's return to Japan caused a media frenzy in late September, with his ponytail hairdo making headlines. Following further public criticism, he cut his ponytail off before visiting Princess Mako's parents at the Akasaka Estate last week.

       Komuro and the princess met in 2012 as students at International Christian University in Tokyo and were unofficially engaged in September 2017.

       Their wedding was initially scheduled to take place on Nov. 4, 2018, but the agency announced in February of the same year the postponement of ritual ceremonies following reports about the financial dispute.

       In November last year, Princess Mako expressed her wish to go ahead with the wedding, saying it is a "necessary choice" for the couple.

       In Photos: The life of Princess Mako

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