Fake prince's wedding has unroyal ending

Tokyo - A princely wedding had an unroyal ending for a Japanese con artist who was convicted of throwing a party for a fictitious scion to scam well-wishers out of thousands of dollars in gifts.

Shinya Kusunoki, 43, was given a suspended 18-month jail term for fraud over the April 2003 wedding reception, which duped 153 guests who came with gifts totalling 6.9 million yen (67,000 dollars) and a painting.

Kusunoki's accomplice, Yasuyuki Kitani, 42, told members of an exclusive Tokyo club that he was "Prince Satohito", a descendant of the Arisugawa clan.

But the clan -- which began in 1625 with Yoshihito, the seventh son of Emperor Goyozei -- died out in 1924, according to the Imperial Household Agency.

"You took advantage of respect for the Imperial Family and crushed it underfoot," Judge Takaaki Oshima of the Tokyo District Court said in handing down the sentence.

The cases of two accomplices including the false prince himself are still before the courts.

Japan's tradition-steeped monarchy, which is the longest-running of the world's imperial lines, commands deep respect among many Japanese. -- AFP News

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