INDO-JAPANESE CROWNED MISS JAPAN

INDO-JAPANESE CROWNED MISS JAPAN

മിസ് ജപ്പാനായി ഇന്ത്യന്‍ വംശജ 

A 22-year-old with an Indian father and a Japanese mother was crowned Miss Japan on Monday, furthering racial equality in the country.Priyanka Yoshikawa's tearful victory comes a year after Ariana Miyamoto faced an ugly backlash for becoming the first black woman to represent Japan.Social media lit up after Ms. Miyamoto's trailblazing triumph as critics complained that Miss Universe Japan should instead have been won by a "pure" Japanese rather than a "haafu" — the Japanese for "half", a word used to describe mixed race."Before Ariana, haafu girls couldn't represent Japan," Ms. Yoshikawa told AFP in an interview."That's what I thought too. I didn't doubt it or challenge it until this day. Ariana encouraged me a lot by showing me and showing all mixed girls the way."

Ms. Yoshikawa, born in Tokyo to an Indian father and a Japanese mother, vowed to continue the fight against racial prejudice in homogenous Japan, where multiracial children make up just two per cent of those born annually."I think it means we have to let it in," she said when asked what it signified for her and Miyamoto to break down cultural barriers."We are Japanese. Yes, I'm half Indian and people are asking me about my 'purity' — yes, my dad is an Indian and I'm proud of it, I'm proud that I have Indian in me. But that does not mean I'm not Japanese."Ms. Yoshikawa, like Ms. Miyamoto, was bullied because of her skin colour after returning to Japan aged 10 following three years in Sacramento and a further year in India."I know a lot of people who are haafu and suffer," said Ms. Yoshikawa, an avid kick-boxer whose politician great-grandfather once welcomed Mahatma Gandhi for a two-week stay at their home in Kolkata.

"We have problems, we've been struggling and it hurts. When I came back to Japan, everyone thought I was a germ," she added. "Like, if they touched me they would be touching something bad. But I'm thankful because that made me really strong."Ms. Yoshikawa, who speaks fluent Japanese and English and towered over her rivals at 5'8", will contest for the Miss World crown in Washington this December."When I'm abroad, people never ask me what mix I am," said Ms. Yoshikawa, who earned her elephant trainer's licence recently."As Miss Japan, hopefully I can help change perceptions so that it can be the same here too. The number of people with mixed race is only going to increase, so people have to accept it."Reaction to Ms. Yoshikawa's victory failed initially to trigger any real outrage, although predictably some were unhappy.

"What's the point of holding a pageant like this now? Zero national characteristics," grumbled one Twitter user, while another fumed: "It's like we're saying a pure Japanese face can't be a winner."As the Japanese government continues to push its "Cool Japan" brand overseas to entice foreign tourists for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Yoshikawa promised to win over any doubters."There was a time as a kid when I was confused about my identity," she admitted. "But I've lived in Japan so long now I feel Japanese."

ജപ്പാന്‍ സൗന്ദര്യ റാണിയായി ഇന്ത്യന്‍ വംശജ പ്രിയങ്ക യോഷികാവ തെരഞ്ഞെടുക്കപ്പെട്ടു. 2015ല്‍ കറുത്തവര്‍ഗക്കാരിയെ സൗന്ദര്യറാണിയായി തെരഞ്ഞെടുത്തതിന്റെ പ്രതിഷേധങ്ങള്‍ കെട്ടടങ്ങും മുമ്പെയാണ് പ്രിയങ്കയെ മിസ് ജപ്പാനായി തെരഞ്ഞെടുത്തത്. അര്‍ധ ദേശീയതയുള്ളവരെ മത്സരത്തില്‍ പങ്കെടുപ്പിക്കരുതെന്ന് ഒരു സംഘമാളുകള്‍ വ്യാപകമായി പ്രചരിപ്പിച്ചിരുന്നു.

പ്രിയങ്കയുടെ പിതാവ് കൊല്‍ക്കത്ത സ്വദേശിയാണ്. പിതാവ് ഇന്ത്യക്കാരനായതിനാല്‍ താന്‍ ജപ്പാന്‍ പൗരയല്ലാതാകുന്നില്ലെന്ന് പ്രിയങ്ക പ്രതികരിച്ചു. പിതാവിന്റെ ദേശീയതയില്‍ അഭിമാനം കൊള്ളുന്നുണ്ടെന്നും ഇന്ത്യന്‍ സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യസമര സേനാനിയായ മുത്തശ്ശന്റെ കൊല്‍ക്കത്തയിലെ വസതിയില്‍ മഹാത്മാഗാന്ധിക്ക് സ്വീകരണം നല്‍കിയിരുന്നുവെന്നതും അഭിമാനകരമാണെന്നും അവര്‍ പറഞ്ഞു. ഡിസംബറില്‍ വാഷിങ്ടണില്‍ നടക്കുന്ന ലോകസുന്ദരി മത്സരത്തില്‍ പങ്കെടുക്കുന്നതിനുള്ള തയാറെടുപ്പിലാണ് 22കാരിയായ പ്രിയങ്ക ഇപ്പോള്‍.

Prof. John Kurakar