Princess Mako, the first grandchild of Emperor Akihito, will officially become engaged to a university classmate most likely in summer, the Imperial Household Agency said Thursday.

Agency chief Shinichiro Yamamoto said at a news conference that the engagement of the 25-year-old princess to Kei Komuro, who attended International Christian University in Tokyo the same year with her, is set to be formally announced around that time.

The agency confirmed their impending engagement after news of it broke on May 16.

GALLERY: The life of Princess Mako of Japan

 Yamamoto said initially that the two were to officially become engaged in fall but the agency is now considering moving up the schedule by a few months following media reports.

To hasten the announcement for their formal engagement would be in the best interest of the princess and her fiance-to-be, he said.

The princess and her parents, Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, have been consulted about the timing.

Komuro, also 25, currently works as a paralegal at a law firm in Tokyo and attends Hitotsubashi University's graduate school.

They met about five years ago through a mutual friend and soon hit it off, with Komuro proposing marriage about a year later, according to a source close to the matter.

The engagement of the elder daughter of Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko will be the first one among the four grandchildren of the emperor and Empress Michiko.

The envisioned marriage underscores the urgent need to address issues stemming from the shrinking size of Japan's imperial family. Princesses cannot become reigning empresses under Japanese law and will lose imperial status when they marry commoners.