# Miss Universe Japan

Miss Universe Japan (Japanese: ミス・ユニバース・ジャパン) is a national Beauty pageant in Japan to select an official candidate for the Miss Universe pageant.
Since 2018, the national director of Miss Universe Japan is Hiroko Mima.

## History

The Miss Japan pageant was founded in 1952, and has gone through several sponsor changes. Between 1952 and 1995 it was sponsored and run by Asahi Broadcasting Corporation. The sponsorship ended in 1995 and after a 2-year hiatus, French businesswoman Ines Ligron seized the business opportunity and established a company to operate the pageant as Miss Universe Japan. Until 2007, the organisation managed to produce one winner, two top 5 runners-up and one top 15 semifinalist at the Miss Universe pageant. Ligron was catapulted to the international spotlight when Riyo Mori won the second Miss Universe crown for Japan in 2007. In 2009, Ligron left the organisation which resulted in a different team now leading the organisation.

## National directors

* 1952 Miss Japan - Yoshinaga (Japanese-American Press)
* 1998 Miss Universe Japan - Inès Ligron (WCBA)
* 2010 Miss Universe Japan - Izumi Toda and Akihiro Yoshida (HDR Corporation)
* 2018 Miss Universe Japan - Hiroko Mima

## International crowns

* Two – Miss Universe winners:
** Riyo Mori (2007)
** Akiko Kojima (1959)

## Gallery of winners

* Akiko Kojima, Miss Universe 1959

## Titleholders

* : Declared as Winner
* : Ended as runner-up or top 5/6 qualification
* : Ended as one of the finalists or semifinalists
* : Ended as special awards winner
       The Miss Japan pageant existed from 1952 to 1995. During that period, the pageant managed to produce a winner and three top 5 finalists at the Miss Universe pageant. In 1959, Akiko Kojima claimed the first crown for Japan. After a top 12 semifinalist placement in 1975, Japan managed to place only one more time prior to 1995, when Mizuho Sakaguchi took fourth place in 1988. In 1998, the Miss Universe Japan pageant acquired the Miss Universe license. The winner of Miss Universe Japan (MUJ) represents her country at Miss Universe. On occasion, when the winner does not qualify (due to age) for either contest, a runner-up is sent.
| Year | Prefecture | Miss Universe Japan | Japanese Name | Placement at Miss Universe | Special Awards |
| Hiroko Mima directorship — a franchise holder to Miss Universe from 2018 ||||||
| 2025 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 2024 | Hyōgo | Kaya Chakrabortty | チャクラボルティ 雅 | Top 30 | |
| 2023 | Shizuoka | Rio Miyazaki | リオ 宮崎 | Unplaced | |
| 2022 | Chiba | Marybelén Sakamoto | マリベレン坂本 | Unplaced | |
| 2021 | Tokyo | Juri Watanabe | 渡邉珠理 | Top 16 | |
| 2020 | Chiba | Aisha Harumi Tochigi | 杤木愛シャ暖望 | Unplaced | |
| 2019 | Hyōgo | Ako Kamo | 加茂 あこ | Unplaced | |
| 2018 | Mie | Yuumi Kato | 加藤 遊海 | Unplaced | |
| Izumi Toda and Akihiro Yoshida (HDR Corporation) directorship: Miss Japan Organization — a franchise holder to Miss Universe between 2010―2017 ||||||
| 2017 | Chiba | Momoko Abe | 阿部 桃子 | Unplaced | Best National Costume |
| 2016 | Shiga | Sari Nakazawa | 中沢 沙理 | Unplaced | |
| 2015 | Nagasaki | Ariana Miyamoto | 宮本 エリアナ | Top 10 | |
| 2014 | Nagasaki | Keiko Tsuji | 辻 恵子 | Unplaced | |
| 2013 | Mie | Yukimi Matsuo | 松尾 幸実 | Unplaced | Best National Costume (4th Runner-up) |
| 2012 | Miyagi | Ayako Hara | 原 綾子 | Unplaced | |
| 2011 | Tokyo | Maria Kamiyama | 神山 まりあ | Unplaced | Best National Costume (9th Runner-up) |
| 2010 | Ōita | Maiko Itai | 板井 麻衣子 | Unplaced | |
| Inès Ligron (WCBA) directorship — a franchise holder to Miss Universe between 1998―2009 ||||||
| 2009 | Tokyo | Emiri Miyasaka | 宮坂 絵美里 | Unplaced | |
| 2008 | Tokushima | Hiroko Mima | 美馬 寛子 | Top 15 | |
| 2007 | Shizuoka | Riyo Mori | 森 理世 | Miss Universe 2007 | |
| 2006 | Okinawa | Kurara Chibana | 知花 くらら | 1st Runner-up | Best National Costume |
| 2005 | Aichi | Yukari Kuzuya | 葛谷 由香里 | Unplaced | |
| 2004 | Hiroshima | Eri Machimoto | 町本 絵里 | Unplaced | |
| 2003 | Kumamoto | Miyako Miyazaki | 宮崎 京 | 4th Runner-up | |
| 2002 | Tokyo | Mina Chiba | 千葉 美苗 | Unplaced | |
| 2001 | Aomori | Misao Arauchi | 荒内 美沙緒 | Unplaced | |
| 2000 | Tokyo | Mayu Endo | 遠藤 真由 | Unplaced | |
| 1999 | Saitama | Satomi Ogawa | 小川 里美 | Unplaced | |
| 1998 | Tokyo | Nana Okumura | 奥村 ナナ | Unplaced | |
| Yoshinaga (Japanese-American Press) directorship — a franchise holder to Miss Universe between 1952―1995 ||||||
| Did not compete between 1996—1997 ||||||
| 1995 | Saitama | Narumi Saeki | 佐伯 成美 | Unplaced | |
| 1994 | Kagawa | Chiaki Kawahito | 川人 千明 | Unplaced | |
| 1993 | Hyōgo | Yukiko Shiki | 志岐 幸子 | Unplaced | |
| 1992 | Aichi | Akiko Ando | 安藤 晃子 | Unplaced | |
| 1991 | Osaka | Atsuko Yamamoto | 山本 亜津子 | Unplaced | |
| 1990 | Ehime | Hiroko Miyoshi | 三好 浩子 | Unplaced | |
| 1989 | Hokkaido | Eri Tashiro | 田代 絵里 | Unplaced | |
| 1988 | Hyōgo | Mizuho Sakaguchi | 坂口 美津穂 | 3rd Runner-up | |
| 1987 | Okayama | Hiroe Namba | 難波 央江 | Unplaced | |
| 1986 | Gifu | Hiroko Esaki | 江崎 普子 | Unplaced | |
| 1985 | Osaka | Hatsumi Furusawa | 古沢 初美 | Unplaced | |
| 1984 | Tokyo | Megumi Niiyama | 新山 恵 | Unplaced | |
| 1983 | Osaka | Yuko Yamaguchi | 山口 遊子 | Unplaced | |
| 1982 | Tokyo | Eri Okuwaki | 奥脇 絵里 | Unplaced | |
| 1981 | Kyoto | Mineko Orisaku | 織作 峰子 | Unplaced | |
| 1980 | Tokyo | Hisae Hiyama | 檜山 久恵 | Unplaced | |
| 1979 | Tokyo | Yurika Kuroda | 黒田 百合香 | Unplaced | Miss Congeniality |
| 1978 | Osaka | Hisako Manda | 萬田 久子 | Unplaced | |
| 1977 | Tokyo | Kyoko Sato | 佐藤 恭子 | Unplaced | |
| 1976 | Osaka | Miyako Iwakuni | 岩国 美弥子 | Unplaced | |
| 1975 | Hokkaido | Sachiko Nakayama | 中山 幸子 | Top 12 | |
| 1974 | Tokyo | Eriko Tsuboi | 坪井 江里子 | Unplaced | |
| 1973 | Ibaraki | Miyoko Sometani | 染谷 美代子 | Top 12 | |
| 1972 | Tokyo | Harumi Maeda | 前田 晴美 | Top 12 | |
| 1971 | Tokyo | Shigeko Taketomi | 武富 茂子 | Top 12 | Best Swimsuit |
| 1970 | Tokyo | Jun Shimada | 島田 純 | 3rd Runner-up | Best Swimsuit |
| 1969 | Aichi | Kikuyo Osuka | 大須賀 喜久代 | 4th Runner-up | |
| 1968 | Tokyo | Yasuyo Iino | 飯野 矢住代 | Unplaced | Miss Congeniality |
| 1967 | Osaka | Kayoko Fujikawa | 藤川 香代子 | Unplaced | |
| 1966 | Osaka | Atsumi Ikeno | 池野 温美 | Unplaced | |
| 1965 | Tokyo | Mari Katayama | 片山 まり | Unplaced | |
| 1964 | Hyōgo | Chizuko Matsumoto | 松本 千都子 | Unplaced | |
| 1963 | Miyagi | Noriko Ando | 安藤 矩子 | Top 15 | |
| 1962 | Kyoto | Kazuko Hirano | 平野 和子 | Unplaced | |
| 1961 | Tokyo | Akemi Toyama | 遠山 明美 | Unplaced | |
| 1960 | Fukuoka | Yayoi Furuno | 古野 弥生 | Top 15 | |
| 1959 | Tokyo | Akiko Kojima | 児島 明子 | Miss Universe 1959 | |
| 1958 | Fukuoka | Tomoko Moritake | 森武 知子 | Top 15 | Miss Congeniality |
| 1957 | Tokyo | Kyoko Otani | 大谷 享子 | Top 15 | |
| 1956 | Fukushima | Yoshie Baba | 馬場 祥江 | Unplaced | |
| 1955 | Tokyo | Keiko Takahashi | 高橋 敬緯子 | 4th Runner-up | |
| 1954 | Aichi | Mieko Kondo | 近藤 美恵子 | Unplaced | |
| 1953 | Tokyo | Kinuko Ito | 伊東 絹子 | 2nd Runner-up | |
| 1952 | Osaka | Himeko Kojima | 小島 日女子 | Unplaced | |