Ukrainian-born Miss Japan gives up her crown two weeks after controversially winning the title after it’s revealed she was having an affair with married Instagrammer ‘Muscle Doctor’

The Ukrainian-born winner of Miss Japan has given up her crown two weeks after controversially winning the title after it was revealed she was having an affair with a married influencer known as ‘Muscle Doctor’.

Karolina Shiino, 26, won the title two weeks ago, but it led to a debate due to her heritage.

Born in 1998, she moved to Japan at the age of five – where she was raised in Nagoya – after her Ukrainian mother remarried to a Japanese man.

Her win meant she was the first naturalised Japanese citizen to take home the Miss Japan gong, a fact that divided commentators in the country.

An article in local magazine Shukan Bunshun reported that Ms Shiino had an affair with a married doctor and influencer. 

Takuma Maeda, an influencer known as ‘Muscle Doctor’, acknowledged on Instagram that he had no intention of divorcing his wife and apologised for causing trouble to Ms Shiino and others.

He pledged to sincerely devote himself to his work and private life.

In an initial response to the report last week, the pageant organisers said Ms Shiino had not known that he was married.

But on Monday, they admitted she had confessed to being aware of the man’s marriage and family.

Ms Shiino had said she was sorry for being misleading, and organisers had accepted her giving up the title, the Miss Japan Association said.

Ms Shiino apologised to fans and the public in a statement on Monday, noting that her response was due to fear and panic about the report.

She said: ‘I am truly sorry for the huge trouble I have caused and for betraying those who supported me.’

Ms Shiino also apologized to the man’s partner and his family, as well as other parties involved. 

The Miss Japan title will not be taken up for the rest of the year. 

Her win at the award’s 56th iteration sparked fierce debate in Japan over what it means to be Japanese, on account of her being born in Ukraine.

Some acknowledged her win as being a ‘sign of the times,’ while others said she does not look like what a typical ‘Miss Japan’ should.

Her win came after a similar debate was sparked in 2015 when Ariana Miyamoto became the first woman of mixed race to be crowned Miss Japan.

With a Japanese mother and African American father, Miyamoto’s victory also sparked a debate over whether a person of mixed race should be eligible.

Taking to social media after Ms Shiino’s win, one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the competition was ‘discriminating against Japanese faces’.

Another said in a post: ‘This person who was chosen as Miss Japan is not even a mix with Japanese but 100% pure Ukrainian. Understand she is beautiful, but this is “Miss Japan”. Where is the Japaneseness?’ according to the BBC.

The scandal also raised some questions about why she was the only one blamed for the affair while the man who was involved with her has not made a single public comment.

In Japan’s male-dominated culture, women are still expected to be good mothers and wives, and are publicly chastised more than the men in case of extra-marital affairs.

Speaking to reporters after being announced the winner of the competition, Ms Shiino said she has faced difficulties ‘being accepted as Japanese’. 

‘The moment they called my name, I couldn’t stop crying,’ she said in Japanese.

‘I’ve had to face barriers that often prevent me from being accepted as Japanese, so I am filled with gratitude to be recognised at this competition as a Japanese person.’

She added: ‘My goal became to create a society where people are not judged by their appearance, leading me to enter the contest.’

On her motivation to enter the contest, she said: ‘I have lived in Japan since I was five and realized I was speaking Japanese and living as a Japanese.

‘But it was the first time I noticed my appearance was different due to comments from those around me.’

As her name was announced, she immediately acknowledged her mother, who brought her to Japan two decades ago.

Asked who she wanted to share her joy with, she said: ‘My family, especially my mother. I want to tell her first, “Mom, I won the Grand Prix!”

Standing at 172cm (5ft 6in), Ms Shiino was one of the taller contestants, and at 26 years old, was also the oldest.

Her motto is: ‘A high mountain is not noble because of its height.’

Ai Wada, the organiser of the Miss Japan Gran Prix pageant, said the event ‘gave us an opportunity to rethink what Japanese beauty is’.

‘Following today’s result, there is one thing I am convinced of… Japanese beauty exists not in the appearance, not in the blood, but it exists firmly in our heart.’

The furore over Ms Shiino’s win also came after a similar row broke out over the winner of Miss France at the end of last year. 

Short-haired 20-year-old Eve Gilles found herself at the centre of a woke row about her pixie hair following her victory in December.

Critics said the kind of long hair favoured by previous winners – and Gallic female icons such as Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve – would have been far more appropriate than a short pixie bob worn by Ms Gilles.

But Eve hit back, saying: ‘We’re used to seeing beautiful Misses with long hair, but I chose an androgynous look with short hair.’ 

She said it was a win for woke ‘diversity’, and that ‘no one should dictate who you are’.

As the debate about acceptable feminine looks raged, Eve said she was used to being ‘body shamed’, and even faced exclusion from Miss France for being too small.