Recently, there are many comments on the Internet that describe Kei Komuro (Princess Mako's husband), Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Member Fumiko Kinoshita, and others as "mentally strong."
Mr. Komuro's expression does not change even when he failed the lawyer's examination, the financial problem is unsolved, and his wife's grandfather died. Ms. Kinoshita was elected to the Assembly by hiding the personal injury that she caused during the suspension of her driver's license. Although the Assembly advised her to resign, she announced that she would stay in the legislator's chair.
For those who read the atmosphere, follow the orders of their parents, teachers, and bosses, and live in harmony with their surroundings, they are envious of this.
However, it seems to me that it is a little different from the notion of having a "strong mentality = being thick-skinned".
As for Mr. Komuro, I imagine he would think in a way like below:
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"There is no escape anymore because of the strong belief and the pressure of the stubborn imperial family member. Studying abroad in a law school in the United States is difficult every day, even if you go on your own initiative. Motivation doesn't last as I was simply asked by Princess Mako to 'create a base overseas.'
If I secure a job with imperial power for the time being, my annual income will be 6 million yen ($60,000), but my wife will do something about it to increase our income so we can live in New York. Or rather, she should do that.
Originally, I didn't really want to study abroad, take the bar exam, or emigrate. If I live with my mother in our 50m2 (538ft2) apartment in Yokohama, I won't have to pay rent, and it's enough to earn 100,000 to 200,000 yen ($1,000 to 2,000) a month. You can do it as a clerk or an English teacher. Placid boys of the same generation with no ambition are like that.
As a person who grew up in a family that couldn't pay back the debt of 4 million yen ($40,000), living in a luxury condominium arranged by my wife is not bad. I can't escape under the pressure of the imperial family anymore, so let's go into energy saving mode without grumbling. At the very least, why don't I try to show my lack of motivation by sporting a pony tail? I don't even have a classy suit that is appropriate for a meeting with her parents. If you really want, let me have my haircut as I like."
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Kei Komuro seems to be apathetic rather than being mentally strong. Instead of being shameless, he is giving up and feeling weak.
As for Metropolitan Assembly Member Kinoshita, she hasn't been to work for quite a long time, and when she finally came to the Assembly, she seemed a little disordered and fat. From such behavior, we can see mental weakness. Because there is so much talk and press coverage, if she quit the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, she would not have a job. As far as she does not break the law, she has no choice but to stay.
