 | |
| Type | International women's beauty pageant |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan |
| First edition | 1960 |
| Most recent edition | 2023 |
| Current titleholder | Andrea Rubio Venezuela |
President | Akemi Shimomura |
| Language | English |
| Website | www |
Miss International (Miss International BeautyorThe International Beauty Pageant) is a Japan-based international major beauty pageant organized by the International Culture Association. First held in 1960,[1][2] it is the fourth largest pageant in the world in terms of the number of national winners participating in the international contest.[3][4][5]
Along with Miss World, Miss Universe, and Miss Earth, the pageant is one of the Big Four beauty pageants.[6] The Miss International Organization and the brand are currently owned (since 1968), along with Miss International Japan, by the International Cultural Association and Miss Paris Group.[citation needed] The pageant crown used by the organization is supplied and patented by the Mikimoto pearl company.
In 2020 and again in 2021, the pageant was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]
The current Miss International is Andrea RubioofVenezuela who was crowned on 26 October 2023 in Tokyo, Japan.
The pageant was created in Long Beach, California, United States in 1960,[8] after the departure of the Miss Universe pageant to Miami Beach.[9] Hosted in Long Beach until 1967,[10] the pageant moved to Japan from 1968 to 1970, being hosted each year in the same city as the Expo '70. For 1971, it was held in Long Beach again, but since that time it had been held annually in Japan until 2003. Since 2004, it is held in China or Japan.[11] The first winner of the pageant in 1960 was Stella AranetaofColombia.
Since then, Japan became the host country and the pageant has mostly been held in Japan, around autumn season either in October or November. The pageant is also called "Miss International Beauty".[12] The pageant advocacy is to achieve a world where women can live with positivity, inner strength and individuality.[13][non-primary source needed] The slogan of Miss International is to "correct understanding of Japan in the international community" and "the realization of world peace through mutual understanding". It has also recently adapted the slogan "Cheer All Women".[14][11]
The winner of Miss International 2012, Ikumi Yoshimatsu of Japan, was stripped of her title and was not able to crown her successor due to conflict with a talent agency that threatened her safety and the pageant night itself;[15][16][17] instead Miss International 2008, Alejandra Andreu, crowned Bea Santiago of the Philippines as Miss International 2013. Yoshimatsu was the first titleholder of the pageant from Japan to be dethroned shortly before the end of her reign.[18][19][20] The organization was criticized for allegedly asking Yoshimatsu to skip the succession ceremony and "play sick and shut up" in order to avoid a scandal with a Japanese production company whose president was allegedly harassing her.[2][21]In2017, Kevin Lilliana JunaedyofIndonesia became the first Muslim woman to win Miss International.[22][23][24] 2020 and 2021 edition was the second and third times the pageant has been cancelled since 1966 edition, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and Japanese government banned International events, following the 2020 Summer Olympics postponement.[25]
| Edition | Year | Representing | Miss International | National Title | Location | Number of Entrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57th | 2017 |  Indonesia
|
Kevin Lilliana | Puteri Indonesia Lingkungan 2017 | Tokyo, Japan | 69 |
| 58th | 2018 | Venezuela
|
Mariem Velazco | Miss Venezuela Internacional 2017 | Tokyo, Japan | 77 |
| 59th | 2019 |  Thailand
|
Sireethorn Leearamwat | Miss Thailand 2019 | Tokyo, Japan | 83 |
| 2020 — 2021 | Pageant not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||||
| 60th | 2022 |  Germany
|
Jasmin Selberg | Miss International Germany 2022 | Tokyo, Japan | 66 |
| 61st | 2023 | Venezuela
|
Andrea Rubio | Miss Venezuela Internacional 2022 | Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan | 70 |
† = deceased
Ingrid Fiffi Finger, was named Miss International Beauty Friday.
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