Ukraine-born Miss Japan winner gives back crown after controversy over affair with married man

The 2024 Miss Japan winner has returned her title after it was revealed that she had an affair with a married man.

Karolina Shiino was crowned 'Miss Japan' just a couple of weeks ago, though faced controversy as she was the first naturalised Japanese citizen to win the pageant.

The 26-year-old Ukraine-born model moved to Japan when she was just five after her mother remarried a Japanese man, and was raised in Nagoya.

Shiino was crowned winner of the Miss Japan Grand Prix pageant on 22 January and tearfully said in Japanese: "There have been racial barriers, and it has been challenging to be accepted as Japanese."

Certain viewers of the pageant were displeased at the final result, as they posted on social media saying she was 'ethnically 0% Japanese' and 'wasn't even born in Japan'.

Instagram/@karolina0824

The organiser of the pageant, Ai Wada, said judges chose Shiino in 'full confidence, adding: "She speaks and writes in beautiful and polite Japanese."

"She is more Japanese than we are," Wada explained.

But just days later, Shiino's 'dream' all came crashing down.

Last week, Japanese newspaper Shukan Bunshun reported that the Miss Japan winner was in a relationship with a married man who was an influencer and doctor.

At first, the pageant organisers rejected this claim, saying the man had presented himself as single to Shiino.

But earlier this week, the Miss Japan association revealed that Shiino was in fact aware of his marriage and apologised for initially denying this.

In a statement, the association said: "Today, February 5th, we received a request from Karolina Shiino, who won the Miss Japan Grand Prix, to decline the award due to personal circumstances.

"We sincerely accept our responsibility for causing a series of incidents. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to the sponsors who supported the competition, the teachers who served as judges, and everyone involved. I sincerely apologise."

Instagram/@karolina0824

Following this controversy, the association accepted Shiino’s offer to step down as Miss Japan and announced that the title would remain vacant until next year.

Shiino released a statement on her Instagram page saying that she was 'truly sorry' for the commotion that she has caused and for 'betraying' her fans.

Adding to the initial controversy after being the first person of European-descent to win the Miss Japan title, Shiino has become the first winner to relinquish the title.

In her winning speech, she said: "I had not been accepted as Japanese many times, but I am filled with gratitude to have been recognised as Japanese today."

LADbible has out to Miss Japan Grand Prix for further comment.