Speaking fluent Japanese and with tears in her eyes, Carolina Shiino expressed, “There have been racial barriers, and it has been challenging to be accepted as Japanese,” upon being crowned Miss Japan on Monday.
Born in Ukraine, the 26-year-old model, Carolina Shiino, moved to Japan at the age of five and grew up in Nagoya.
She’s the first naturalized Japanese citizen to have clinched the pageant title, re-igniting a debate about what it means to be Japanese.
Some view her triumph as a sign of changing times, while others argue she doesn’t fit the traditional image of “Miss Japan.”
Her success follows the groundbreaking win of Ariana Miyamoto in 2015, who became the first bi-racial Miss Japan.
Ariana Miyamoto, born to a Japanese mother and an African American father, faced scrutiny over whether a mixed-race individual should win such a competition.
The fact that Ms. Shiino lacks Japanese parentage has stirred controversy among some online commentators.
One person wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, “This person who was chosen as Miss Japan is not even a mix with Japanese but 100% pure Ukrainian. I understand she is beautiful, but this is ‘Miss Japan’. Where is the Japaneseness?”
Another commented, “If she was half Japanese, sure, no problem. But she’s ethnically 0% Japanese and wasn’t even born in Japan.”
Some believe her victory sends an incorrect message to people in Japan. “I think that Japanese people naturally get the wrong message when a European-looking person is called the most beautiful Japanese,” a viewpoint expressed.
Speculation exists about the influence of political motives in choosing Ms. Shiino, specifically regarding her Ukrainian origin.
“If she were born Russian, she wouldn’t have won. Not a chance. Obviously, the criteria are now a political decision. What a sad day for Japan,” one commenter stated.
Ai Wada, the organizer of the Miss Japan Gran Prix pageant, said the event “gave us an opportunity to rethink what Japanese beauty is.”
She added, “Following today’s result, there is one thing I am convinced of: Japanese beauty exists not in appearance, not in blood, but firmly in our hearts.”
Upon acquiring Japanese citizenship, Ms. Shiino shared on Instagram that while her appearance might not be typically Japanese, her upbringing in Japan shaped her mindset.
As she received her Miss Japan 2024 title, she described the win as the fulfillment of a dream, saying, “Being recognized as Japanese in this competition fills me with gratitude.”
