A new Miss Universe Japan will be crowned on March 1st. The winner will have the opportunity to represent her country at Miss Universe 2016.
Ariana Miyamoto will crown her successor at the end of the event. After her victory in march 2015 she faced some criticism on social media for not appearing to be Japanese; she is the first hāfu (multiracial) woman to be Miss Japan. As Miss Universe Japan Miyamoto competed at Miss Universe 2015, she made the TOP 10.
The Miss Universe Japan pageant was created in 1998 in response to Japan's then-recent lack of finalists at Miss Universe. It is a branch from the former Miss Japan pageant. Until 2007, the organisation managed to produce one winner - Akiko Kojima in 1959 - two top 5 runners-up and one top 15 semifinalist at the Miss Universe pageant. They finally won a second Miss Universe Crown in 2007 with Riyo Mori.
Miss Universe Japan 2016 Contestants
Miss HOKKAIDO Kanako Hirayama
Miss AOMORI Aiko Mikata
Miss IWATE Asami Orui
Miss MIYAGI Yuki Ishikawa
Miss AKITA Emi Ozaki
Miss YAMAGATA Saki Sunada
Miss FUKUSHIMA Mako Sato
Miss IBARAKI Eriko Kumagai
Miss TOCHIGI Chiho Terauchi
Miss GUNMA Rie Fukui
Miss SAITAMA Hitomi Fujitsuka
Miss CHIBA Misa Morita
Miss TOKYO Risako Nakamura
Miss KANAGAWA Miku Takahashi
Miss NIIGATA Naoko Yoneyama
Miss TOYAMA Ayumi Nakazawa
Miss ISHIKAWA Nao Koizumi
Miss FUKUI Masumi Yamada
Miss NAGANO Mizue Todoroki
Miss GIFU Haruka Yoshino
Miss SHIZUOKA Yukari Shiotsuki
Miss AICHI Chihiro Okamoto
Miss SHIGA Sari Nakazawa
Miss KYOTO Yu Nakashima
Miss OSAKA Asumi Okuda
Miss HYOGO Mizuki Kato
Miss NARA Yukiko Takano
Miss WAKAYAMA Haruka Nohara
Miss TOTTORI Mina Aoyama
Miss SHIMANE Rino Tanaka
Miss OKAYAMA Mao Isobe
Miss HIROSHIMA Tomoe Sumioka
Miss YAMAGUCHI Sayaka Kumabe
Miss TOKUSHIMA Kaori Arike
Miss KAGAWA Arika Sakamoto
Miss EHIME Takako Hirashima
Miss KOCHI Sayaka Nishimura
Miss FUKUOKA Keiko Fukushima
Miss SAGA Natsuki Saito
Miss NAGASAKI Yukiko Wakasugi
Miss KUMAMOTO Sayaka Matsumoto
Miss OITA Hazuki Iida
Miss MIYAZAKI Chifumi Ishigami
Miss KAGOSHIMA Tomoko Kadosono
Miss OKINAWA Konatsu Itokazu
Miss MIE Momoe Yada