KUALA LUMPUR: Newly-crowned Miss Japan, Karolina Shiino has relinquished her title after news reports surfaced about her affair with a married man.
According to the Japan Times, it is the first time a Miss Japan winner has relinquished her title.
The pageant's organiser said on Monday that with the latest development, the title of Miss Japan will be vacant for a year.
Shiino's affair with a married doctor came to light last week in Shukan Bunshun - a Japanese magazine.
However, the Miss Japan Association had rebutted the claim the next day, saying he had claimed he was single and that she was unaware he was married.
"Miss Japan Association believes there was no fault on the part of Karolina Shiino," it said on its website.
However, the association had retracted their statement after it was revealed that Shiino had indeed dated him while knowing that he was married.
It said she has apologised for lying and had voluntarily stepped down as Miss Japan.
Her agency, Free Wave said in a statement on its website on yesterday that the doctor initially said he was single, but Shiino continued the relationship even after she came to know that he was married.
The agency has accepted Shiino's offer to terminate her contract with it.
Shiino posted a message on her Instagram yesterday saying she had been "unable to speak the truth due to confusion and fear."
Shiino, who was born to Ukrainian parents, moved to Japan at the age of 5 after her parents divorced and her mother married a Japanese man, whose surname she now bears.
She said she is now a naturalised citizen.
Shiino was crowned Miss Japan on Jan 22 and her victory sparked debate about what it means to be Japanese.
During the ceremony, she tearfully said that she felt grateful for finally being accepted as Japanese.