The Ukraine-born winner of the Miss Japan beauty pageant has given up her crown after a tabloid report revealed her affair with a married man.
Karolina Shiino, 26, was crowned Miss Japan two weeks ago but her win sparked public debate due to her heritage.
While some welcomed the naturalised citizen’s crowning, others said she didn’t represent traditional Japanese beauty ideals.
Amid the furore, a local magazine published an expose alleging an affair.
The article in the Shukan Bunshun reported that Ms Shiino had engaged in a relationship with a married influencer and doctor. The man has not provided any public comment.
Japan does not grant citizenship to those born here. There are multiple ways to acquire Japanese citizenship, most of which are based on the most recent couple generations of parents/grandparents. Multiple citizenship technically isn’t allowed, either. Anyone naturalizing to Japanese citizenship must relinquish their existing citizenship(s) unless the other country does not allow relinquishing. If found out, the Japanese government can take action to revoke citizenship (or at least parts of it; there are actually court cases about this).