, a Japanese model, born on June 16, 1984, is a native of Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Japan. She competed in the Miss Universe 2009

Miss Universe 2009

Miss Universe 2009, the 58th Miss Universe pageant, was held at the Atlantis Paradise Island, in Nassau, Bahamas on August 23, 2009. It was the first time back to back victories in Miss Universe history: Stefanía Fernández of Venezuela, was crowned Miss Universe 2009 by outgoing titleholder Dayana...

 pageant on August 23, 2009 held in Nassau, Bahamas and was unplaced.

Personal information

Miyasaka speaks some English, having spent ten months in California attending school. She placed 2nd runner-up at Miss International Japan 2008.

Miss Universe Japan 2009

Miyasaka beat more than 3,000 applicants for this year's title of Miss Universe Japan. The judging panel included Miss Universe Japan national director Ines Ligron

Ines Ligron

Ines Ligron, a native of Montpellier, France, is the former director of Miss Universe Japan, an organization that has been described as "Japan's beauty queen factory."-Early life:...

, singer Shizuka Kudo, Lotte Marines baseball manager Bobby Valentine

Bobby Valentine

Robert John "Bobby V" Valentine is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is currently the manager of the Boston Red Sox. He previously managed the Texas Rangers and New York Mets as well as the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan...

, Miss Universe 2006 runner-up Kurara Chibana

Kurara Chibana

, a Japanese model, born on March 27, 1982, is a native of Naha City . She competed in Miss Universe 2006 and ended up as the 1st Runner-up.-Miss Universe 2006:...

, TV personality Girolamo Panzetta, and DJ & TV host Chris Peppler. Miyasaka received a lot of attention after her win, especially after being invited to the Prime Minister's office which is an honor reserved to very important people

Very Important Person

A Very Important Person, or VIP is a person who is accorded special privileges due to his or her status or importance.Examples include celebrities, heads of state/heads of government, major employers, high rollers, politicians, high-level corporate officers, wealthy individuals, or any other...

 only.

Emiri was trained by national pageant director Ligron along with Hiroko Mima

Hiroko Mima

is a fashion model, athlete, beauty queen,and Miss Universe Japan 2008.-Biography:Mima currently attends Nihon University and her major is physical education. Mima suffers from a bone marrow disease that left the right side of her body incapacitated for three months at 13 years old and a nerve...

, who prepared Emiri Miyasaka for Miss Universe 2009. Emiri was missed the first cut.

Controversies

When Miyasaka appeared with her revealing national costume, her comment was, "even as a representative of my country I want to express my individuality. I’m trying as hard as I can to appeal based on the kindness and modest of the Japanese!" However, the costume triggered backlash from Japanese critics, claiming the costume was "a national disgrace", "made fun of Japanese traditional clothing and culture", and was "a stupidly designed stupid costume for a stupid person to wear". The costume was designed by Yoshiyuki Ogata for the Yoshiyuki brand, along with Japan's Miss Universe franchise holder and director Ligron. Originally, the skirt was longer, but Ligron decided to shorten it in a hasty decision taken before the press conference. After the uproar, Ligron defended the costume, saying that the critics were "dinosaurs". Nonetheless, Miyasaka wore a more conservative version of the design at the actual pageant.

External links

• Official Blog
• Focus Miss Japan 2009
• Miss Universe Japan