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The Miss Japan title will now remain vacant for the remainder of the year
Ukrainian-born Karolina Shiino, the winner of last month’s Miss Japan pageant, gave up the title after a weekly magazine revealed her relationship with a married man. bbc reported. The 26-year-old model, born in Ukraine but raised in Japan, sparked controversy after winning the title of Miss Japan 2024 last month. Many wondered how the title “Miss Japan” could be awarded to someone who is not of Japanese descent.
In the midst of the debate, the weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun published a story about a relationship she was having with a married influencer and doctor named Takuma Maeda. Pageant organizers initially defended Ms Shiino, saying she did not know the man was married. However, it later came to light that she had dated him knowing that she was married and that she apologized for cheating on them.
according to Japan TimesHis Free Wave modeling agency said Monday that the doctor initially said he was single, but that Shiino continued the relationship even after learning he was married.
“I am very sorry for the enormous problems I have caused and for betraying those who supported me,” he said. apologized on Instagram. He added that he had been “unable to tell the truth due to confusion and fear” after the magazine article came out.
In a statement posted on its website on Monday, the Miss Japan Association said it had accepted her request to renounce her title and “seriously reflects on our responsibility in provoking this series of unrest.” The association also offered its “deep apologies” to interested parties, including sponsors and judges.
The Miss Japan title will remain vacant for the rest of the year, marking a rare occurrence in the pageant’s history.
Notably, Ms. Shiino moved to Japan when she was five years old, after her mother remarried a Japanese man. She declared herself Japanese in “speech and mind” and her goal was to establish a culture in which “people are not judged by the way they look.”
“I have had to face barriers that often prevent me from being accepted as Japanese, so I am full of gratitude to be recognized in this competition as Japanese,” the 26-year-old said in her speech at Miss Japan. Grand Prize Competition.