The winner of Miss Japan 2024, Carolina Shiino, has European features and does not have Japanese ancestry, but speaks the language.
“There were racial barriers and it was difficult to be accepted as Japanese.”
This is what Carolina Shiino said, tearfully, in flawless Japanese, shortly after being crowned Miss Japan 2024 on Monday (01/22).
The 26-year-old model was born in Ukraine but moved to Japan at the age of five and grew up in Nagoya.
She became the first naturalized Japanese citizen to win the contest, but her victory reignited the debate over what it means to be Japanese.
While some consider her win a “sign of the times”, others say she is nothing like what a “Miss Japan” should be.
Carolina’s achievement comes nearly 10 years after Ariana Miyamoto became the first biracial woman to be crowned Miss Japan in 2015.
At the time, the coronation of Miyamoto, the daughter of a Japanese mother and an African-American father, sparked a debate over the eligibility of a person of mixed race.
This time, it was the fact that Carolina is not related to Japan that sparked comments from some on social media.
“This person who was chosen as Miss Japan is not even mixed with Japanese, she is 100% pure Ukrainian. I understand that she is beautiful, but this is ‘Miss Japan,'” read a post on the X network (formerly Twitter ).
“If it were half [japonesa], it certainly wouldn’t be a problem. But she is 0% ethnically Japanese and she wasn’t even born in Japan,” read another post.
Others said his victory sent the “wrong message” to the country.
“I think Japanese people naturally get the wrong message when a European-looking person is considered the most beautiful Japanese woman.”
Others questioned whether crowning the Ukrainian-born role model was a political decision.
“If she had been Russian, she wouldn’t have won. No chance. Obviously the criterion now is a political decision. What a sad day for Japan,” another person said.
Ai Wada, organizer of the Miss Japan Grand Prix beauty pageant, told the BBC that the judges’ choice of Carolina was made with “total confidence”.
“He speaks and writes beautiful, polite Japanese,” Wada said. “She’s more Japanese than us.”
Early last year, when Carolina obtained Japanese nationality, she posted the news on Instagram and said that she “may not look Japanese,” but her mind “has become Japanese” because she grew up in Japan.
After receiving the Miss Japan 2024 trophy, she said winning the title was “a dream.”
“Being recognized as Japanese in this competition fills me with gratitude.”
In collaboration with Chie Kobayashi
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
