Ukrainian girl wins Miss Japan 2024 contest (VIDEO)
25 January 2024 00:29
The Miss Japan beauty pageant was won by a Ukrainian woman who was born in Ternopil but emigrated to Japan at the age of 5, reports 
In her victory speech, delivered in Japanese, Karolina shared her feelings.
“I have often faced difficulties in defining my national identity, so this victory is a recognition of my belonging to Japanese culture,” she said,
– she said from the stage of the competition.
Her victory in the Miss Japan pageant has been the subject of heated debate.
According to the BBC, Karolina was born in Ukraine, but her life changed when her mother married a Japanese citizen at the age of five, prompting the family to move to Japan.
Today, Karolina lives in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, and is deeply integrated into Japanese society.
Caroline became the first non-Japanese person to be crowned Miss Japan. This became a symbol of changes in public perceptions of national identity. Part of the public perceived her success as a “progressive sign of the times”, while others expressed doubts about her appearance in line with the traditional image of Miss Japan.
Some people believe that the jury’s decision has a political background, as the girl was born in Ukraine.
“If she had been born Russian, she would not have won. She had no chance. Obviously, the criterion is now a political decision,” reads one comment.
The organiser of the contest, Ai Wada, defended the judges’ decision, emphasising Karolina’s high level of Japanese language skills and understanding of the culture.
Karolina, for her part, emphasised her desire to see a society where there is no discrimination based on appearance or origin. Her story is not only about beauty, but also about cultural identity and acceptance of diversity.
