Karolina Shiino, a 26-year-old Ukrainian-born model, was crowned Miss Japan 2024 on January 22, 2024. Shiino’s victory sparked controversy and debate over Japanese identity.
Shiino moved to Japan when she was five years old after her mother remarried a Japanese man. She became a naturalized citizen in 2022 and has lived in Japan for over 20 years.
Shiino said, “I’ve learned that there are some people who require purity of blood as part of Japanese-ness”. She also said, “I wonder if there is a lack of an understanding that there may be people of diverse roots from different places if you just go back a few generations”.
