On January 22, 2024 in Tokyo, Japan, Ukrainian-born Carolina Shiino won the Miss Japan (Japan) Grand Prix after a series of competitions. After the match, Nishino, who was crowned Miss Japan, cried tears of joy and thanked everyone for recognizing her Japanese identity, despite her Caucasian appearance. 
Nishino is 26 years old and currently works as a model. She moved to Japan when she was 5 years old and has since lived in Japan and became a naturalized Japanese citizen in 2022. She told everyone that she had a strong sense of Japanese identity, like other Japanese people, even though she didn't look Japanese. In his acceptance speech, Nishino tearfully spoke in fluent Japanese. "Even though I'm Japanese, I've always thought of myself as a child, but I've often faced racial barriers. Today, I am grateful to have been accepted as a Japanese. It really felt like a dream. ”
Of course, Nishino's coronation sparked a debate in Japan about whether she should represent Japan. Someone said on social ** that even if she grew up in Japan, people who don't have a drop of Japanese blood are wrong to represent Japan and become Miss Japan. Although Japan is an open and free society, it lags significantly behind in terms of ethnic diversity and cultural diversity. Years ago, when Ariana Miyamoto, a native of Nagasaki, was chosen to represent the Miss Universe 2015 pageant, she also faced fierce criticism (her mother is Japanese and her father is African-American). When tennis star Naomi Osaka lit the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, nationalists on social media slammed her for not being "purely Japanese", even though she was loved by most of Japan. 