Why Did The Miss Japan Winner Decide To Give Up Her Crown?

Karolina Shiino, a 26-year-old model originally from Ukraine but holding Japanese citizenship, has sparked controversy following her victory in the Miss Japan 2024 pageant. While some celebrated her win, others criticised her for not fitting conventional Japanese beauty standards. However, her reign was short-lived after a local magazine published an expose revealing her involvement in an affair with a married man, leading her to relinquish her crown, as reported by the BBC. 

According to The Japan Times, Shukan Bunshun, a monthly magazine, published an article detailing Shiino's relationship with Takuma Maeda, a married doctor. Initially, pageant organisers defended Shiino, claiming she was unaware of Maeda's marital status. However, subsequent investigations revealed that she had been aware of his marriage and had engaged in a relationship with him, prompting her to express remorse for deceiving them.

Shiino took to Instagram to issue a public apology for her actions, acknowledging her wrongdoing and expressing regret for any harm caused. Check out her post here.

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A post shared by Karolina Shiino/ 椎野カロリーナ🦋 (@karolina0824)

Earlier, her achievement had sparked controversy online, with Shiino in the middle of an identity debate. The 26-year-old model said in her acceptance speech, "There have been racial barriers, and it has been challenging to be accepted as Japanese," adding that this win makes her feel more connected to the Asian nation.

Although Shiino is a Japanese citizen, her nationality and identity have been a topic of debate for a big part of her life, BBC reported. The indifference of the Japanese towards people who look different has been bothering her since childhood and it has become more evident now than ever.

Ukrainian-Born Model Takes Miss Japan Crown

In 2015, the Miss Japan title was won by a bi-racial (Black and Asian) model, Ariana Miyamoto. In 2016, Bengali-Japanese model Priyanka Yoshikawa became Miss World Japan. They too, had faced extremely derogatory remarks and sparked controversy with their win.

Carolina Shiino's achievement comes almost a decade later, but things seem to have little change since then. Moreover, since she is not Japanese by blood, this caused further outrage. Netizens have expressed disappointment in Shiino's win, saying it sends "the wrong message."

One X (formerly Twitter) user said, "I think that Japanese people naturally (would) get the wrong message when a European-looking person is called the most beautiful Japanese." Another user commented, "This person who was chosen as Miss Japan is not even a mix with Japanese but 100% pure Ukrainian. Understand she is beautiful, but this is 'Miss Japan'. Where is the Japaneseness?"

Some even tried to find a political motive behind Shiino's win. "If she were born Russian, she wouldn't have won. Not a chance," an X user claimed. Miss Nippon (Japan) Association quashed these claims in a conversation with BBC. Ai Wada, the organiser of the Miss Japan Grand Prix pageant said that judges had chosen Ms Shiino as the winner with "full confidence".

Wada said, "She speaks and writes in beautiful and polite Japanese. She is more Japanese than we are." Shiino had announced her Japanese citizenship on Instagram earlier. "I may not look Japanese, but my mind has become Japanese because I grew up here. Being recognised as a Japanese in this competition fills me with gratitude," she said in the caption.