The determination of the young Ukrainian Karolina Shiino as the winner of the Miss Japan contest this week has sparked a discussion on social networks about what it means to be and look Japanese, writes Reuters.

The 26-year-old model, who was born in Ukraine, has lived in Japan for over 20 years and is a naturalized Japanese citizen. Over the years, Japan has opened its doors even more to foreigners to stem a declining birth rate, one of the lowest in the world.

“I live as a Japanese, but there were racial barriers and many cases when I was not accepted. I’m just grateful that I was truly accepted as a Japanese person today,” Shiino said tearfully in fluent Japanese after being crowned Miss Japan on Monday, Agerpres reported, citing Reuters.

The appointment of a young woman as Miss Japan sparked controversy on social media, with several people questioning whether Shiino really represented Japan. “So someone who has not one drop of Japanese blood and not one trace of ‘Japaneseness’ will represent Japanese women,” was one of the messages posted on the X platform.

Others believed that the girl has the right to represent the country in which she lives. “If you have Japanese citizenship, you are Japanese. Isn’t that all there is to say? What else is there to prove?” wrote another user on X.

The reactions are reminiscent of the controversy sparked by Ariana Miyamoto, a young woman with a Japanese mother and an African-American father who represented Japan at the 2015 Miss Universe pageant.

But Shiino hopes that people will see more than just her appearance. On the website of the beauty pageant, she wrote that she is Japanese in spirit.

(Photo: Dreamstime.com)