Leaving behind pure Japanese, half-Indian becomes Miss Japan

Tokyo: In a striking blow to those demanding a ‘pure’ Japanese pageant queen, half-Indian girl Priyanka Yoshikawa was crowned as Miss Japan in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Priyanka’s victory came a year after Ariana Miyamoto became the first woman to represent Japan in the Miss Universe pageant and faced an ugly, racist backlash for it. The social media, after Miyamoto’s victory, had flooded with the complaints that the title of Miss Universe Japan should not have been given to a Haafu (Japanese word for half, used to describe mixed race in Japan).

“Before Ariana, haafu girls couldn’t represent Japan in beauty pageants,” said Priyanka after winning the title.

“That’s what I thought too. I did not doubt or challenge it until this day. Moreover, the change was brought by Ariana who led the way for me as well as all the other mixed girls,” she added.

Other highlights:

• Priyanka said she was proud to have Indian genes but that never stopped her from respecting her own country Japan.
• Priyanka was born in Tokyo to an Indian father and a Japanese mother.
• The newly crowned beauty vowed to continue the fight against racial prejudice in her nation.
• Priyanka said just because she was a half Indian, the people should not ask her to prove her ‘purity’ and love for Japan.
• She also said that her dad was an Indian and she was proud of it.
• “I’m proud that I somewhere belong to India but that does not mean I’m not Japanese,” said Priyanka.
• She was 10-year-old when she returned to Japan after spending three years in Sacramento and a further year in India.

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