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66-year-old grandma of 3 among Miss Universe Japan finalists, wins Miss Congeniality title
Go, grandma, go!
September 18, 2025, 05:54 PM
At 66, Junko Sakai is the oldest contestant ever to qualify for the Miss Universe Japan pageant.
A proud grandmother to three grandchildren and mother of four children, she was selected as one of the 42 finalists in Japan.
Miss Universe previously enforced an age restriction, allowing only women aged 18 to 28.
However, this upper limit was removed from 2024.
Pageant worries
Gif from junkosakai8/Instagram
Sakai mentioned that she was worried about how the rest of the contestants would view an older participant, according to Yahoo News Japan.
However, she was deeply moved when the other contestants accepted her and treated her as an equal.
She also shared that she would occasionally forget some of the dance steps or her speech.
Gif from junkosakai8/Instagram
There were some concessions made for her in the pageant.
She was allowed to wear a one-piece swimsuit instead of the usual bikini for the swimsuit segment, as reported by The Asahi Shimbun.
Her request to wear stockings, however, was denied.
Grew up with a strict upbringing
Sakai also talked about having been brought up under a very strict mother.
It was a societal norm to be a housewife without any room for freedom or your own hobbies, and this was the mindset that was taught to her.
It was something she had always felt stifled by.
Wants to be a role model for the elderly
While the crown eventually went to 21-year-old business administration student Kaori Hashimoto, Sakai managed to win the Miss Congeniality award.
She also managed to reach her goal — to represent Japan's elderly population.
She said that she found it sad how the elderly in Japan often seemed to be overlooked.
They were expected to shrink into the background and be forgotten. While older people in other countries could still be seen in famous movies or dramas, to her, they were more visually absent in Japan.
“I am approaching this contest with the mindset that I am representing Japan’s elderly population,” Sakai said.
“As the oldest contestant to be picked for Miss Universe Japan, I strive to be someone other people can look up to and be inspired by.”
Top image from junkosakai8/Instagram
