Miss Japan sparks an identity debate with no trace of Japanese-ness.

Shiino, who is a Japanese person, said there have been racial barriers and instances where he wasn't accepted. The model who was born in Ukraine and looks Caucasian has lived in Japan for 20 years and is a naturalised citizen. Japan opened its doors to foreigners more and more as a way to reverse its lowest birth rate in the world. The crowning of Ukrainian-born model Karolina Shiino as the winner of the Miss Japan contest this week has triggered a social media debate on what it means to be Japanese. She said she has been accepted as a Japanese person because of her gratitude. One person on the social media platform X said that someone with no trace of Japanese-ness was going to represent Japanese women. One X user said that if you have Japanese citizenship, then you are a Japanese. Ariana Miyamoto, the daughter of a Japanese mother and African-American father, who represented Japan in the Miss Universe pageant in 2015, was criticized for her looks. Shiino wrote on the beauty competition website that she is Japanese in spirit and that she looks foreign.