Ukrainian-born Miss Japan rekindles an old question: What does it mean to be Japanese?

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Crowned Miss Japan this week, Ukrainian-born Karolina Shiino cried with joy, thankful for the recognition of her identity as Japanese. But her Caucasian look rekindled an old question in a country where many people value homogeneity and conformity: What does it mean to be Japanese? Shiino has lived in Japan since moving here at age 5 and became a naturalized citizen in 2022. Now 26, she says she has as strong a sense of Japanese identity as anyone else, despite her non-Japanese look. Japan has a growing number of people with multiracial and multicultural backgrounds, as more people marry foreigners and the country accepts foreign workers to make up for its rapidly aging and declining population. But tolerance of diversity has lagged.