Miss Grand Japan 2026
12th Miss Grand Japan competition
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Miss Grand Japan 2026 (Japanese: 2026ミス・グランド・ジャパン, Hepburn: 2026 Misu Gurando Japan) was the 12th edition of the Miss Grand Japan pageant, held on 10 August 2026 at Hulic Hall in Yurakucho, Tokyo.[1] Seventeen contestants, selected from an initial field of 22 semifinalists announced in March,[2] competed for the national title.[3]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Miss Grand Japan 2026 Finals | |
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 2026 Miss Grand Japan Finals by Miss Grand Japan Ltd. |
At the end of the event, Sara Chiba of Aichi was crowned Miss Grand Japan 2026 by the outgoing titleholder. She will represent Japan at Miss Grand International 2026, scheduled to be held in India in October 2026. The runners-up were Christina Chieko Ishibashi (Japanese communities in the United States), Yuka Oyama of Nara, Reika Nakatsu (Japanese communities in China), and Maria Sano of Tottori. Sano also received the Miss Friendship award, while Ishibashi was named Miss Peace.[4][5]
The pageant was held concurrently with the Mister Gay Japan 2026 contest, with both events hosted by Rico and Yukako Yoshii.[3]
Background
Date and venue
In the finalist announcement released in March 2026, the organizer stated that the national grand final would be held in August, though the specific date and venue remained undisclosed at that time.[6] It was then announced on 6 July that the final competition would be held on 10 August at Hulic Hall, Yurakucho, Tokyo.[1] As in previous editions, the contest is being held alongside the Mister Gay Japan pageant.[3]
Selection of contestants
Applications for Miss Grand Japan 2026, coordinated centrally by the national organizer, were accepted from 5 November 2025 to 11 January 2026.[7] A total of 22 qualified contestants was announced on 13 March 2026.[2] Four contestants later withdrew and were replaced by new entrants selected through the Career Quota Audition (キャリア枠オーディション), resulting in 20 contestants at the time of the official finalist announcement on 31 March 2026.[6] The Career Quota Audition remained open until May for applicants meeting specific criteria, such as possessing outstanding special skills or having a large social media following, through which additional contestants were added to the line-up.[6] By early June, five more contestants had withdrawn, leaving 17 contestants to compete in the grand final.[3]
Competition results
| Placement | Candidate[4][5] |
|---|---|
| Miss Grand Japan 2026 |
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| 1st runner-up |
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| 2nd runner-up |
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| 3rd runner-up |
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| 4th runner-up |
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| Top 8 |
Contestants
Originally, 22 contestants qualified for the national finals,[2] but several later withdrew and were replaced by contestants recruited through the Career Quota Audition, resulting in a final line-up of 17 contestants set to compete at the grand final.[6][3]
| Represented | Romanized name | Japanese name |
|---|---|---|
| Niigata | Meiko | |
| Osaka I | Yuuka Himeno | |
| Ibaraki | Haruka Toyoshima | |
| Japanese communities in Thailand | Arisa Kawai | 川井 ありさ |
| Nara | Yuka Oyama | 大山 祐佳 |
| Tokushima | Yu Kobayashi | 小林 優 |
| Japanese communities in the Philippines | Nanami Ishikawa | 石川 七海 |
| Tottori | Maria Sano | 佐野 マリア |
| Kanagawa | Mao Eguchi | 江口 真央 |
| Japanese communities in the USA | Christina Chieko Ishibashi | 石橋 クリスティーナ智恵子 |
| Japanese communities in Vietnam | Tran Thi Diem Le | トランティディエン レイ |
| Aichi | Hazuru Chiba | 千葉 羽寿留 |
| Japanese communities in China | Reika Nakatsu | |
| Osaka II | Kaori Nakayama | 中山 香里 |
| Nagasaki | Aoi Hirayama | 平山 蒼 |
| Osaka III | Risako Yamaoka | 山岡 梨紗子 |
| Yamanashi | Anz | あんず |
