Carolina Shiino, 26, competed against 11 other candidates at Miss Nippon Contest 2024 at Keio Plaza Hotel, Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku City in Tokyo, Japan on January 22, 2024. She won the highest title, which is Miss Japan Grand Prix 2024.
The title does not make the winner a representative of Japan in an international beauty pageant. The competition is different from Miss Universe Japan, Miss World Japan, Miss International Japan, Miss Earth Japan, Miss Supranational Japan and Miss Grand Japan, which select the country’s candidates for the six grand slam international female beauty pageants.
Shiino did not win the Miss Japan Grand Prix 2024 title without controversies. Born in Ukraine to Ukrainian parents, she was not a citizen of Japan until 2022.
Since 2002, Shiino has been a resident of Japan. She is fluent in Japanese. However, some people do not think she was Japanese enough to hold the Miss Japan Grand Prix 2024 title.
On the other hand, supporters from around the world, specially those who are advocating for inclusivity, rallied around Shiino. Some of them stopped supporting her after she admitted on February 5, 2024 that she did have an affair with a doctor who is a married man.
When a report about the affair emerged on January 31, 2024, the Miss Nippon Contest organizers denied it. After confirming the report, Shiino relinquished the title and offered to terminate her contract.
CONAN Daily 