Originating in Ukraine Over an affair, Miss Japan renounces her title

The organizers of this year’s Miss Japan pageant, who is of Ukrainian descent, said that the winner has resigned her title after the publication of an article in a magazine detailing her involvement with a married man. After Karolina Shiino won the title of Miss Japan on January 22, there was a resurgence of discussion on what it meant to be Japanese in a nation that still values uniformity and homogeneity.

The previous week, the Weekly Bunshun magazine revealed that Shiino had dated a married doctor. then seemed to corroborate the connection at first, but then claimed she was unaware of his marriage. Afterwards, she said that her previous justification “was not true” and that she knew he was married and had a family. She apologized and stated that the story had left her shocked and afraid, that she had panicked. Shiino’s resignation of the title was accepted, according to the Miss Japan organizers’ office on Tuesday, and the 2024 winner’s spot will stay unclaimed.
In addition to sparking further criticism of Shiino on social media, the controversy made others wonder why she was singled out for the affair. On Instagram, the man—known as the “muscle doctor” influencer Takuma Maeda—apologised for upsetting Shiino and other people and said he had no plans to file for divorce from his wife. He promised to give his professional and personal life his wholehearted attention.
Women are supposed to be exemplary husbands and mothers in Japan’s male-dominated society, and they get greater public criticism than men when they have extramarital relationships.