Mayuko Hanawa

 Filipino-Japanese is named Miss Supranational Japan

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte

Mayuko Hanawa was proclaimed Miss Supranational Japan 2022, besting 17 other aspirants to the title. Born to a Japanese father and Filipino mother, she's the first half-Pinay to win a title in any of Japan's major pageants. After completing her Early Childhood Education degree, she now works as a kindergarten teacher.

"As an educator, I would like to understand different cultures, aim for peace and co-existence between nations, and build global friendships. For that reason, I want to stay close to the hearts of children who will lead the world in the future," enthused the 24-year-old educator.

Mayuko is a Rotary Act volunteer and has been part of the From the Ground Up CSI Project which had been doing numerous feeding programs in the Philippines.

As a singer, she has raised thousands of dollars for Ukrainian refugees in Poland through a charity concert she organized with fellow Miss Supranational Japan contestants, and her sister who's also a beauty queen like her.

"Currently, the world faces many problems. For example, conflicts in Europe and other parts of the world, environmental problems such as climate change and global warming, and racial discrimination," she remarked.

She is in the shortlist for the Best in Talent challenge in this year's Miss Supranational search. She will pit her talents and skill with delegates from Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Iceland, Korea, and The Bahamas. Last year, it was Miss Supranational Philippines Allison Black who won this challenge with a solo ballet piece.

Mayuko is Japan's official delegate to the 14th Miss Supranational pageant that's slated to unfold on July 14, 2023 (July 15 in Manila) at the Strzelecki Park, Nowy Sacz in Poland's Malopolska region. She'll be competing with 67 other international delegates, including Miss Supranational Philippines 2023 Pauline Amelinckx.