A beauty queen has once again re-ignited a debate on what it means to be Japanese.

“There have been racial barriers, and it has been challenging to be accepted as Japanese.”

That’s what a tearful Carolina Shiino said in impeccable Japanese after she was crowned Miss Japan on Monday.

The 26-year-old model, who was born in Ukraine, moved to Japan at the age of five and was raised in Nagoya.

She is the first naturalised Japanese citizen to win the pageant, but her victory has re-ignited a debate on what it means to be Japanese.

While some recognised her victory as a “sign of the times”, others have said she does not look like what a “Miss Japan” should.

  • 𝕱𝖎𝖗𝖊𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖈𝖍@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    10 months ago

    To add, diversity is beneficial in basically all aspects of nature. A natural land that isn’t biodiverse is prone to disease and competition for resources. Purebred pets tend to be more prone to disease and complications than “mutts”. “Ethnic purity” is such a self centered and stupid virtue for someone to have in this day and age.

    Furthermore, a lot of cultural traditions like food and music are meant to be shared with others, and locking yourself out of that because of some ass backwards view is a disservice to oneself.

    Racists confuse the hell out of me