Karolina Shiino has been forced to relinquish her crown after having an affair with a married man.
The Ukraine-born winner of the
Miss Japan beauty pageant was crowned on January 22, but has now been
overshadowed by controversy.
Shiino achieved a milestone
when she was crowned Miss Japan, becoming the first woman of European descent
to receive the title.
Her victory, however, sparked
criticism, with many saying that she was “not Japanese enough” to represent
Japanese beauty.
Amid the controversy, Shukan
Bunshun, a local magazine, revealed that the 26-year-old model was having an
affair with a married man.
In its initial response to the
report, the pageant organisers defended Shiino after she told her modeling
agency that she had ended the relationship when she discovered the man was
married.
But on Monday, the organisers
of Miss Japan said Shiino confessed to knowing about the man’s marriage and
family but continued to see him.
The organisers said she had
apologised for being misleading and her title resignation has been accepted.
In a statement via her
Instagram page, Shiino apologised to her fans, adding that she had acted out of
fear and panic in response to the reports.
“I am truly sorry for the huge
trouble I have caused and for betraying those who supported me,” she wrote.
The organisers said the Miss
Japan title will now remain vacant for the rest of the year.
Shiino was born in Ukraine to
Ukrainian parents, who moved to Japan when she was five. She would later take
on her stepfather’s Japanese last name.
In 2022, the Ukraine-born model
announced on social media that she had become a naturalised citizen of Japan.
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