Carolina Shiino, a 26-year-old Japanese model of Ukrainian descent, became the center of controversy after winning the title of Miss Japan 2024 on Monday.
Online skepticism: Despite declaring herself Japanese in “speech and mind,” her victory sparked skepticism on social media, with some questioning the choice of crowning someone who is not of Japanese descent.
“This person who was chosen as Miss Japan is not even a mix with Japanese but 100 percent pure Ukrainian. Understand she is beautiful, but this is ‘Miss Japan.’ Where is the Japaneseness?” one person said.
“I think that Japanese people naturally (would) get the wrong message when a European looking person is called the most beautiful Japanese,” another noted.
“As a non-Japanese person living in Japan, I also think that the choice of someone with no ethnic connection to Japan is beyond ridiculous,” one weighed in.
“She speaks and writes in beautiful and polite Japanese,” Ai Wada added. “She is more Japanese than we are.”
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