Ariana Miyamoto was crowned Miss Japan 2015 this past March
At 20 years old, not only is Ariana Japan’s first and only half Japanese contestant to claim the title, beating out her more “Japanese looking” peers, but Miyamoto will also go on to represent Japan at the Miss Universe pageant later this year.
The sign reads “I am me.”
Ariana was born to an African American father and a Japanese mother, and spent most of her life growing up in the port city of Nagasaki. She speaks fluent Japanese and English.
In the articles that I’ve read about her she mentions how she was always verbally abused by other kids because of her race. Being half black she was the target for racial slurs and other mistreatment by her own peers. But to her she is 100% Japanese, and having the opportunity to represent her country is something that she is glad to have.
