Miss Japan, first held in 1950, is awarded for “Japanese-style magnificence”.

Tokyo:

The Ukraine-born winner of the Miss Japan pageant has relinquished her crown after a report emerged of an affair she had with a married physician.

Karolina Shiino’s nomination in January first sparked debate after some right-wingers questioned the title being awarded to a naturalised Japanese citizen.

A scandal then erupted over her non-public life when weekly journal Shukan Bunshun reported on her extra-marital relationship — taboo for magnificence pageant contestants, who’re held to squeaky-clean ethical requirements.

Japanese leisure personalities who’ve affairs, dabble in medicine or endure different scandals additionally usually discover themselves shunned by their followers and employers.

The Miss Japan Affiliation stated Monday that it had accepted a request from Shiino to return the crown for “private causes”, including there can be no Miss Japan for 2024.

Shiino stated she wished to “deeply apologise” to these concerned, together with the person’s spouse, on the identical day her administration company stated she had confirmed the affair.

At first “I could not communicate the reality resulting from chaos and concern… I apologise to those that believed in me and supported me,” the 26-year-old stated on Instagram.

“I take the scenario significantly and have relinquished the Miss Japan Grand Prix title,” wrote the mannequin, who moved to Japan across the age of 5.

In a press release Monday, Shiino’s company stated she informed them she had begun seeing the person believing him to be divorced, however continued the connection after studying he was nonetheless married.

Miss Japan, first held in 1950, is awarded for “Japanese-style magnificence” consisting of “inside magnificence, magnificence in look and great thing about actions,” its web site says.

After Shiino’s nomination attracted consideration on-line, folks shortly weighed in on social media.

“It would not matter if she is Jewish-Ukrainian or not, however I can not settle for her character… Why is she Miss Japan?” one person wrote on X, previously Twitter.

Others wrote in assist of Shiino on her Instagram publish.

“You could have Japanese spirit. I do not assume such (a) private non-public factor must be a cause so that you can step down however that is Japan,” stated a reply with almost 350 likes.

(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)