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
Kojima in 1959
Born	Akiko Kojima October 29, 1936 Tokyo City, Tokyo Prefecture
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Title	Miss Japan 1959 Miss Universe 1959
Beauty pageant titleholder
Major competition(s)	Miss Japan 1959 (Winner) Miss Universe 1959 (Winner)

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 (94–58–97 cm).[1][2] She denied press reports on having undergone breast surgery.[3] Kojima settled into a quiet married life after her reign. Forty eight years later another Japanese national, Riyo Mori, won the Miss Universe pageant in 2007. In 1960, Akiko crowned her successor, Miss Universe 1960, Linda Bement from the United States.

Kojima is divorced from the Japanese actor Akira Takarada, who rose to fame in the Toho movie studios doing the Godzilla movies since 1954.

References

1. "Japanese Girl Beauty Queen". The Sydney Morning Herald. July 26, 1959. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
2. Associated Press. July 13, 1959. (see back side of File:Akiko Kojima 1959c.jpg)
3. Associated Press. August 13, 1959. (see back side of File:Akiko Kojima 1959.jpg)