Akiko Kojima
Akiko Kojima (児島 明子, Kojima Akiko, born October 29, 1936) is a Japanese model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 1959, making her the first Japanese and Asian woman to win the title.[1]
Akiko Kojima | |
|---|---|
児島 明子 | |
 Kojima in 1959 | |
| Born | October 29, 1936 |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | Michiru Kojima (daughter) |
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Title | Miss Japan 1959 Miss Universe 1959 |
| Hair color | black |
| Eye color | brown |
Biography
Kojima was a 22-year-old model from Tokyo, Japan when she bested four other finalists from Norway, the US, England, and Brazil for the 1959 Miss Universe crown in Long Beach, California. At 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m), Akiko measured 37–23–38 inches (94–58.4–96.5 cm).[1][2] She denied press reports on having undergone breast surgery.[3] A year later in 1960, Akiko crowned her successor, Miss Universe 1960, Linda Bement from the United States.
In 1966, Kojima was married to Japanese actor Akira Takarada, who rose to fame in the Toho movie studios doing the Godzilla movies since 1954. Kojima settled into a quiet married life. They later had a daughter, Michiru Kojima, in 1967. They divorced in 1984 and Kojima left with their daughter.
Forty eight years later after her reign, another Japanese national, Riyo Mori, won the Miss Universe pageant in 2007.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Akiko Kojima. |
- "Japanese Girl Beauty Queen". The Sydney Morning Herald. July 26, 1959. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
- Associated Press. July 13, 1959. (see back side of File:Akiko Kojima 1959c.jpg)
- Associated Press. August 13, 1959. (see back side of File:Akiko Kojima 1959.jpg)
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