Elena Benavente
Updated Tuesday, February 6, 2024-15:02
Controversy contest over the new Miss Japan, born in Ukraine and with Western features
During the last few weeks, the name of
Karolina Shiino
(26) has become known worldwide. The reason? On January 22, 30 judges
chose her as Miss Japan,
based on three criteria:
her physique, her intelligence and her attitude.
According to experts, Shiino was an
"excellent exponent of Japanese culture."
However, part of the Japanese population was against it. And Karolina was born in Ukraine and, furthermore, she does not have marked Asian features, such as slanted eyes.
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According to official information, Shiino
arrived in Japan when he was five years old
and obtained nationality, through naturalization, four years ago. Even so, her detractors do not consider her to be just another Japanese. "What is Japanese about Miss Japan?",
"isn't this aunt Japanese
if her parents are Ukrainian and she was born in Ukraine?", "these people don't understand what it means to be truly 'Japanese'," were some of the comments on networks, which
hurt the
young woman's sensitivity.
Despite this, Shiino
decided not to resign.
He assured that he deserved the crown and that he would fight for the international title. But, this Monday she made the decision to walk away from the contest and for a completely different reason than the discrimination she has suffered: a local media revealed that Karolina
had had an affair with a married man
and, quickly, she began to question her
values
, her
integrity
and his ability to respect an institution as important as the family in Japan.
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A couple of days ago, an article in the
Shukan Bunshun
media reported that the model had "entered into
a relationship with a doctor,
who is also dedicated to social media, whose marital status is married." Following the news, the Miss Japan organization summoned Karolina for interrogation and she swore and perjured that
she had no idea that the man was married
. However, a couple of hours later, she ended up
admitting that she did know
that there was another woman.
After his confession, Shiino decided to
accept his mistakes
and published a statement, in which he apologized to his fans. "I am very sorry for the problems that have been caused. I am also
sorry for having betrayed
those who supported me," he wrote. Likewise, he justified her initial lies and assured that she "had let herself be
carried away by fear, panic
and the possible consequences that her romance could have." But, despite her sincerity and repentance, Karolina does not have the sympathy of the country she intended to represent.