Ariana Miyamoto, Miss Universe Japan (Photo : Facebook)
Some Japanese were unahappy with the victory of Ariana Miyamoto as they claimed that she is not "Japanese enough" to deserve the title.
The concerns were raised as some citizens claimed that a biracial contestant could effectively represent their country in the Miss Universe pageant.
Miyamoto's mother is Japanese, her father is African-American, but she was raised in Japan, according to People. Some Japanese see her win as representing Japan as a multi-cultural nation.
Still, one Japanese tweet observed that even though Miyamoto is Miss Universe Japan, her face is "foreign." The issues of Japan's diversity and its treatment of multi-ethnic people have been renewed due to Miyamoto's crowning. In Japan, biracial people like Miyamoto are known as "hafu" or "haafu."
One key issue is a concept in Japan of the country being racially unique and uniform. This concept's roots date back to at least the mid-1600s, when the ruling Tokugawa shoguns tried to separate Japan from all other countries.
In fact, based on the country's "sakoku" policy, the penalty for foreigners entering Japan, and Japanese exiting the country was death.
Kyle Cleveland, a professor at Temple University's Tokyo campus explains that this policy caused Japan to develop unique "norms and values," according to Christian Science Monitor. The phenomenon is called the Galapagos Effect.
Ironically, while the number of foreigners living in Japan continues to increase, it remains one of the most culturally uniform in the entire world. Less than 2 percent of the population is classified as non-Japanese.
Still, Miyamoto's supporters argue that her victory shows that people's perspectives in Japan are changing. For example, some Japanese netizens referred to criticisms about Miyamoto not being Japanese enough as "outdated" and "pathetic."
