Miss Universe Japan contestant Ariana Miyamoto, 20, is the daughter of a Japanese woman and black man, and although she was raised in Japan, she has come under fire for her mixed-race heritage.
In an interview with Japanese press, Miyamoto said that “while she doesn’t [necessarily] ‘look Japanese’ on the outside, on the inside, there are many Japanese things about her,” reports gaming blog Kotaku.
Miyamoto is definitely a Renaissance woman and serious contender for the crown – Japan’s Rocket News 24 reports that she has mastered Japanese calligraphy and counts cooking, touring and riding motorcycles among her hobbies. According to the news site, Miyamoto spent her high school years in the U.S. before returning to Japan to model.
The Nagasaki native – whom Japanese refer to as a haafu, meaning someone who is half-Japanese – has received sharp criticism about her looks on social media.
The Washington Post translated a sampling of the comments: “Beauty contest. Miss Universe Japan is….wha? What kind of person? She’s ….not…..Japanese…right?,” Tweeted @nao71860624, while another Tweeter chimed in with, “Is it ok to choose a haafu to represent Japan? Sometimes the criteria which they use to select Miss Universe is a bit of a mystery.”
“Sometimes, due to their alluring features, haafu are not always treated the same, or even as Japanese, as their native peers,” reports Rocket News 24. “Miss Nagasaki faced her fair share of race-related challenges too and although some people are against her acting as a representative for Japan due to her mixed heritage, she is also receiving a lot of support.”
Miyamoto clearly doesn’t plan on listening to the criticism as she readies for the competition. “The world competition is going to be tough, but I’ll believe in myself and continue doing my best!”
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