Ukrainian-born model wins Miss Japan 2024, sparks identity controversy
Global News
Carolina Shiino, who was born in Ukraine, moved to Japan when she was 5 years old.
On Monday, Ukrainian-born model Carolina Shiino graciously accepted the Miss Japan 2024 title with tears in her eyes.
Though Shiino, 26, is not what many would expect of a conventional Miss Japan winner, she thanked the judges and audience in lilting, fluent Japanese. As she accepted her crown and trophy, Shiino called the win “a dream.”
“I’ve had to face barriers that often prevent me from being accepted as Japanese, so I am filled with gratitude to be recognized at this competition as a Japanese person,” she said.
According to the BBC, Shiino was born in Ukraine, but moved to Nagoya, a large city in Japan, when she was 5 years old.
Shiino became a naturalized Japanese citizen in 2022 — the first to win the Miss Japan pageant. She is also the oldest woman to win the title.
The response to Shiino’s win has been mixed, both inside and out of Japan.
Online, some social media users felt Shiino’s triumph was unfair because she is not ethnically Japanese and therefore does not adhere to the country’s typical beauty standards. In this camp, netizens worried her win would push an image of Western beauty onto Japanese natives.