The Miss Japan pageant organizers' office said Shino's renunciation of the title had been accepted, and the 2024 title winner's spot would remain empty.
The organization said it “takes seriously our responsibility for causing this ruckus” and apologized to sponsors, judges and others involved. She said she initially defended Shino, based on her initial explanation that the man she was in a relationship with told her he was divorced and she had broken up with him when she learned otherwise.
The scandal has reignited a wave of criticism of Chino on social media but has also raised questions about why she is being blamed for the affair.
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The man involved, Takuma Maeda, an influencer known as “Muscle Doctor,” admitted on Instagram that he had no intention of divorcing his wife and apologized for causing trouble for Shino and others. He pledged to devote himself wholeheartedly to his work and his private life.
In male-dominated Japanese culture, women are expected to be good mothers and wives, and are subject to public reprimands more often than men for extramarital affairs.
Last year, popular Japanese actress Ryoko Hirusu's acting agency suspended her indefinitely over her alleged affair with a married celebrity chef.
Shino has lived in Japan since moving to the country at the age of five. Fluent in Japanese, she became a naturalized citizen in 2022. She has worked as a model and said she has a strong sense of Japanese identity like everyone else, despite her Caucasian appearance.
AP
