Japanese-Indian crowned Miss Japan, drawing mixed reaction

Social media lit up Tuesday with the news of a half-Indian woman being crowned a beauty queen in Tokyo, with many congratulating her and marveling at how far Japan has come in embracing racial diversity.

The tearful victory on Monday of Priyanka Yoshikawa, a Tokyo native with an elephant trainer’s license, as Miss World Japan, comes a year after Ariana Miyamoto became the first multiracial woman to represent Japan in the Miss Universe contest, one of the world’s three prominent beauty pageants. The others are Miss World and Miss International.

“I don’t care whether she is half or pure Japanese. I actually don’t want to say ‘pure’ in Japanese. As a Japanese, the most important thing is the heart,” said Twitter user @edgeslope. “I will judge the person based on the heart.”

“She had the air of a champion as she entered the stage, with her superb walking style flattering her physique,” tweeted @ikementantei. “I hope she will do well as a Japan representative in the Miss World contest!”

“I see more and more haafu people lately (in beauty pageants),” observed @lizardfufu. “Is this the trend of the times?”

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/09/05/national/social-issues/woman-of-indian-descent-crowned-miss-japan/