Japan demands response from Finland over beauty queen’s ‘slanted eyes’ photos
Sarah Dzafce was stripped of her Miss Finland title after an image of her making the offensive gesture went viral
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara also said at a press conference that Japan expects the Finnish government to “appropriately respond” to the matter, which has been dubbed the “slanted eyes” scandal by Finnish media.
The controversy arose after the pageant winner Sarah Dzafce was seen in an online post making the gesture, with the image going viral and leading to her being stripped of her Miss Finland title.
The punishment led some members of the far-right Finns Party to share similar photos on social media, apparently to show solidarity with Dzafce. The Finns Party is part of the ruling coalition.
Orpo said that the posts “do not reflect Finland’s values that put emphasis on equality and inclusion”. The Finnish embassies in China and South Korea have also released similar statements on social media.