Ukrainian woman gives up Miss Japan title because of affair with married man
7 February 2024 11:43
Ukrainian model of Japanese descent Karolina Shiino, who won the Miss Japan beauty pageant in 2024, has resigned her title amid a scandal over an affair with a married man, the 
with reference to the Kyodo news agency.
Her victory as Miss Japan was already considered controversial due to her foreign roots, but she relinquished the title after an article in the Japanese weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun about an affair with a married man.
The pageant organisers initially supported Shiino after she told her modelling agency, Free Wave Co. that she had ended the relationship after learning that the man was married. But a new statement from the agency on Monday said she continued to date him after learning of his marital status.
In an apology posted on her Instagram, Shiino said she was unable to tell the truth due to confusion and fear after the article was published.
“I’m truly sorry for the huge trouble I caused and for betraying those who supported me,” she wrote,
– she wrote.
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.
This is the first time in the history of the pageant that the title of Miss Japan has been abandoned. Organisers said the position would be vacant for a year.
