Akiko Kojima

About

Model and pageant winner famous for becoming the first Japanese and Asian woman to ever win the title of Miss Universe in 1959. In 1961, following her appearance at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila with an all-Japanese troupe of 61 performers, she also became the cover of the Philippines Free Press. She was offered several film roles in the Philippines and in Hollywood in the wake of her rising fame. She turned them down, however, declaring that she wished to settle down and live a "quiet life."

Before Fame

She had been a model prior to the 1959 Miss Universe pageant. She was 22 years old when she earned the crown, defeating finalists from Norway, England, the United States and Brazil.

Trivia

In 1965, she was photographed by famed fashion photographer Yasuhiro Wakabayashi, most commonly known as "Hiro," in Hawaii for an editorial published by Harper's Bazaar.

Family Life

She married actor Akira Takarada in 1966, with whom she had a daughter named Michiru Kojima in 1967. She and Takarada divorced in 1984, and she took sole custody of their daughter.

Associated With

The first Japanese contestant to win the Miss Universe crown after her was Riyo Mori in 2007.