Miss Universe Japan

Summary

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Miss Universe Japan (Japanese: ミス・ユニバース・ジャパン) is a national Beauty pageant in Japan to select an official candidate for the Miss Universe pageant.

Miss Universe Japan Organization
ミス・ユニバース・ジャパン
Formation1952; 72 years ago (1952)
TypeBeauty pageant
HeadquartersTokyo
Location
Membership
Miss Universe
Official language
Japanese
President
Hiroko Mima
WebsiteOfficial website

Since 2018, the national director of Miss Universe Japan is Hiroko Mima.

History edit

The Miss Japan pageant was founded in 1952, and has gone through several sponsor changes. Between 1952 and 1995 it was sponsored and run by Asahi Broadcasting Corporation. The sponsorship ended in 1995 and after a 2-year hiatus, French businesswoman Ines Ligron seized the business opportunity and established a company to operate the pageant as Miss Universe Japan. Until 2007, the organisation managed to produce one winner, two top 5 runners-up and one top 15 semifinalist at the Miss Universe pageant. Ligron was catapulted to the international spotlight when Riyo Mori won the second Miss Universe crown for Japan in 2007. In 2009, Ligron left the organisation which resulted in a different team now leading the organisation.

National directors edit

  • 1952 Miss Japan - Yoshinaga (Japanese-American Press)
  • 1998 Miss Universe Japan - Inès Ligron (WCBA)
  • 2010 Miss Universe Japan - Izumi Toda and Akihiro Yoshida (HDR Corporation)
  • 2018 Miss Universe Japan - Hiroko Mima

International crowns edit

Gallery of winners edit

Titleholders edit

  •   : Declared as Winner
  •   : Ended as runner-up or top 5/6 qualification
  •   : Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
  •   : Ended as special awards winner
The Miss Japan pageant existed from 1952 to 1995. During that period, the pageant managed to produce a winner and three top 5 finalists at the Miss Universe pageant. In 1959, Akiko Kojima claimed the first crown for Japan.[1] After a top 12 semifinalist placement in 1975, Japan managed to place only one more time prior to 1995, when Mizuho Sakaguchi took fourth place in 1988. In 1998, the Miss Universe Japan pageant acquired the Miss Universe license. The winner of Miss Universe Japan (MUJ) represents her country at Miss Universe. On occasion, when the winner does not qualify (due to age) for either contest, a runner-up is sent.
Year Prefecture Miss Universe Japan Japanese Name Placement at Miss Universe Special Awards
2024 TBA
2023 Shizuoka Rio Miyazaki[2] リオ 宮崎 Unplaced
2022 Chiba Marybelén Sakamoto[3] マリベレン坂本 Unplaced
2021 Tokyo Juri Watanabe[4] 渡邉珠理 Top 16
2020 Chiba Aisha Harumi Tochigi 杤木愛シャ暖望 Unplaced
2019 Hyōgo Ako Kamo 加茂 あこ Unplaced
2018 Mie Yuumi Kato 加藤 遊海 Unplaced
2017 Chiba Momoko Abe 阿部 桃子 Unplaced
  • Best National Costume
2016 Shiga Sari Nakazawa 中沢 沙理 Unplaced
2015 Nagasaki Ariana Miyamoto 宮本 エリアナ Top 10
2014 Nagasaki Keiko Tsuji 辻 恵子 Unplaced
2013 Mie Yukimi Matsuo 松尾 幸実 Unplaced
  • Best National Costume (4th Runner-up)
2012 Miyagi Ayako Hara 原 綾子 Unplaced
2011 Tokyo Maria Kamiyama 神山 まりあ Unplaced
  • Best National Costume (9th Runner-up)
2010 Ōita Maiko Itai 板井 麻衣子 Unplaced
2009 Tokyo Emiri Miyasaka 宮坂 絵美里 Unplaced
2008 Tokushima Hiroko Mima 美馬 寛子 Top 15
2007 Shizuoka Riyo Mori 森 理世 Miss Universe 2007
2006 Okinawa Kurara Chibana 知花 くらら 1st Runner-up
  • Best National Costume
2005 Aichi Yukari Kuzuya 葛谷 由香里 Unplaced
2004 Hiroshima Eri Machimoto 町本 絵里 Unplaced
2003 Kumamoto Miyako Miyazaki 宮崎 京 4th Runner-up
2002 Tokyo Mina Chiba 千葉 美苗 Unplaced
2001 Aomori Misao Arauchi 荒内 美沙緒 Unplaced
2000 Tokyo Mayu Endo 遠藤 真由 Unplaced
1999 Saitama Satomi Ogawa 小川 里美 Unplaced
1998 Tokyo Nana Okumura 奥村 ナナ Unplaced
Representatives from Miss Japan · ミスジャパン
Did not compete between 1996—1997
1995 Saitama Narumi Saeki 佐伯 成美 Unplaced
1994 Kagawa Chiaki Kawahito 川人 千明 Unplaced
1993 Hyōgo Yukiko Shiki 志岐 幸子 Unplaced
1992 Aichi Akiko Ando 安藤 晃子 Unplaced
1991 Osaka Atsuko Yamamoto 山本 亜津子 Unplaced
1990 Ehime Hiroko Miyoshi 三好 浩子 Unplaced
1989 Hokkaido Eri Tashiro 田代 絵里 Unplaced
1988 Hyōgo Mizuho Sakaguchi 坂口 美津穂 3rd Runner-up
1987 Okayama Hiroe Namba 難波 央江 Unplaced
1986 Gifu Hiroko Esaki 江崎 普子 Unplaced
1985 Osaka Hatsumi Furusawa 古沢 初美 Unplaced
1984 Tokyo Megumi Niiyama 新山 恵 Unplaced
1983 Osaka Yuko Yamaguchi 山口 遊子 Unplaced
1982 Tokyo Eri Okuwaki 奥脇 絵里 Unplaced
1981 Kyoto Mineko Orisaku 織作 峰子 Unplaced
1980 Tokyo Hisae Hiyama 檜山 久恵 Unplaced
1979 Tokyo Yurika Kuroda 黒田 百合香 Unplaced
  • Miss Congeniality
1978 Osaka Hisako Manda 萬田 久子 Unplaced
1977 Tokyo Kyoko Sato 佐藤 恭子 Unplaced
1976 Osaka Miyako Iwakuni 岩国 美弥子 Unplaced
1975 Hokkaido Sachiko Nakayama 中山 幸子 Top 12
1974 Tokyo Eriko Tsuboi 坪井 江里子 Unplaced
1973 Ibaraki Miyoko Sometani 染谷 美代子 Top 12
1972 Tokyo Harumi Maeda 前田 晴美 Top 12
1971 Tokyo Shigeko Taketomi 武富 茂子 Top 12
  • Best Swimsuit
1970 Tokyo Jun Shimada 島田 純 3rd Runner-up
  • Best Swimsuit
1969 Aichi Kikuyo Osuka 大須賀 喜久代 4th Runner-up
1968 Tokyo Yasuyo Iino 飯野 矢住代 Unplaced
  • Miss Congeniality
1967 Osaka Kayoko Fujikawa 藤川 香代子 Unplaced
1966 Osaka Atsumi Ikeno 池野 温美 Unplaced
1965 Tokyo Mari Katayama 片山 まり Unplaced
1964 Hyōgo Chizuko Matsumoto 松本 千都子 Unplaced
1963 Miyagi Noriko Ando 安藤 矩子 Top 15
1962 Kyoto Kazuko Hirano 平野 和子 Unplaced
1961 Tokyo Akemi Toyama 遠山 明美 Unplaced
1960 Fukuoka Yayoi Furuno 古野 弥生 Top 15
1959 Tokyo Akiko Kojima 児島 明子 Miss Universe 1959
1958 Fukuoka Tomoko Moritake 森武 知子 Top 15
  • Miss Congeniality
1957 Tokyo Kyoko Otani 大谷 享子 Top 15
1956 Fukushima Yoshie Baba 馬場 祥江 Unplaced
1955 Tokyo Keiko Takahashi 高橋 敬緯子 4th Runner-up
1954 Aichi Mieko Kondo 近藤 美恵子 Unplaced
1953 Tokyo Kinuko Ito 伊東 絹子 2nd Runner-up
1952 Osaka Himeko Kojima 小島 日女子 Unplaced

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Japanese Girl Beauty Queen". The Sydney Morning Herald. July 26, 1959. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
  2. ^ "20歳大学生、宮崎莉緒さんミスユニバース日本代表「私から出るエネルギーは誰にも負けない」". Yahoo! Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  3. ^ "グランプリに坂本さん輝く「2022 ミス・ユニバース ジャパン ファイナル」". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  4. ^ Nguyễn, Ly (2021-09-22). "Người đẹp 25 tuổi đăng quang Hoa hậu Hoàn vũ Nhật Bản 2021". Zing News (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2021-09-22.

External links edit

  • Official website