Miss Japan winner gives up crown, apologises following affair | Trending

Karolina Shiino, a 26-year-old model born in Ukraine but has Japanese citizenship, stirred up controversy after winning Miss Japan 2024. While some welcomed her win, others thought that she did not represent conventional Japanese beauty standards. Amid this, a local magazine released an expose revealing her affair with a married man, due to which she gave up her crown, reported the BBC. Karolina Shiino apologised to people in a public statement. (Instagram/@Karolina Shiino) As per The Japan Times, a monthly magazine called Shukan Bunshun featured an article about her relationship with Takuma Maeda, a married doctor. At first, the pageant organizers defended Shiino, claiming she was unaware of his marriage. However, later, it was revealed that she dated him while being aware of his marriage, and she had expressed regret for deceiving them. Discover the thrill of cricket like never before, exclusively on HT. Explore now! She also took to Instagram and issued a public apology for her actions. When translated from Japanese, her statement reads, “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. (Also Read: Japan city faces criticism for promotional stunt using ‘extremely expensive’ sex doll) I also asked my agency to be removed from my affiliation, and it was accepted. We are truly sorry for the inconvenience this has caused and for betraying everyone who has supported us.” Take a look at the post here: Shiino was born in Ukraine, then at the age of five, she moved to Japan with her mother and adopted her stepfather’s surname. On January 22, the competition crowned Shiino, the first person of European heritage to receive the title. She became a naturalized citizen in 2022 and is a fluent Japanese writer and speaker, reported the BBC. When she received the Miss Japan title 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.”