Miss Japan 2016 Winner is Half-Indian; Does Being a 'Hafu' Difficult?

This year's winner of Miss Japan is half-Indian succeeding the biracial title-holder, Ariana Miyamoto last 2015.

22 year old Priyanka Yoshikawa took home the crown with an objective to "change perceptions."

The beauty queen emphasized in an interview with the AFP News that she is Japanese and having an Indian father is something she is proud of. She added that her pride for being an Indian does not make her less of a Japanese, BBC reported.

Yoshikawa who is a licensed elephant trainer gives credit to Miyamoto for showing "mixed girls the way." She said that "before Ariana, haafu girls couldn't represent Japan. That's what I thought too. Ariana encouraged me a lot by showing me and all mixed girls the way."

The controversial winner described her unpleasant experience when she returned to Japan. She said "everyone thought I was a germ. Like if they touched me they would be touching something had. But I'm thankful because that made me really strong."

Biracial born babies only account for 2% of the total births in Japan annually.

Critics debate that Yoshikawa lacks purity. This is not the first time a biracial beauty queen was criticized. Miss America Nina Davuluri with an Indian descent was also bashed online and called 'terrorist' because of her background.

In a study conducted by Oshima, a "Rainbow Project" was conducted to know how Hafu, born mixed-racial, lives in Japan. According to the author, biracial children don't consider themselves different until they reach the age of 6 to 18. During the said period, Hafus tend to change their appearance or deliberately hide their ethnic background to other people. Hafus also get bullied on this stage.

As they mature, Hafus learn to accept their real selves by feeling positive about their minority identity and would consider their ethnic background as an advantage.