Karolina Shiino, the Ukraine-born winner of last month’s Miss Japan contest, has resigned from her title, the contest organizer announced on Monday, following allegations of an affair with a married man.
This is the first time a Miss Japan winner has stepped down. The organizer said the position will stay vacant for the rest of the year.
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A magazine, Shukan Bunshun, published a report last Wednesday claiming Shiino, 26, was romantically involved with a married doctor. The Miss Japan organizer initially denied the accusation on Thursday, saying the doctor had said he was single and Shiino didn’t know he was married.
However, on Monday, the association revealed Shiino knew the doctor was married and chose to continue the relationship. Shiino apologized for not disclosing this earlier. The association accepted her decision to step down.
Shiino’s agency, Free Wave, said on Monday that although the doctor initially claimed to be single, Shiino continued the relationship after finding out he was married. The agency accepted Shiino’s decision to end her contract.
On Instagram, Shiino said she couldn’t speak the truth earlier due to confusion and fear.
“We would like to deeply apologize for the inconvenience caused to Mr. Maeda’s wife, family, and everyone involved. There were some discrepancies in what I explained to my agency the other day. Confusion and fear made it impossible to speak the truth. I am truly sorry for conveying something that is not true to everyone who believed in me and supported me. I take this situation seriously and have declined the Miss Japan Grand Prix,” reads her post.
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Shiino, born to Ukrainian parents, moved to Japan at age 5 after her parents’ divorce. In a September Instagram post, she revealed she became a Japanese citizen through naturalization.
Crowned Miss Japan on January 22, Shiino sparked discussions about Japanese identity. During the ceremony, she tearfully expressed gratitude for being accepted as Japanese.
After being crowned Miss Japan, she said in her speech, “I had not been accepted as Japanese many times, but I am filled with gratitude to have been recognized as Japanese today.”
In a recent interview, Shiino talked about her struggles with identity, saying she’s been told she’s not Japanese enough all her life. She emphasized that being Japanese is a matter of the heart.
