Hiroko Mima is the reigning Miss Universe Japan 2008. She was the official representative for Japan at the Miss Universe 2008 pageant which took place in Nha Trang, Vietnam on July 14, 2008. She made the first round by advancing to the top 15 on the finals, and was ultimately placed in the 14th position being the highest place Asian to make the cut. Mima continued Japan’s stake in the Miss Universe pageant by placing in the semifinal for a consecutive third time, despite not being favoured by numerous pageant sites as a potential semifinalist. Hiroko was the first contestant in history to wear a purse during the evening gown portion of the presentation show. Hiroko Mima was trained for the pagaent by her national pageant director Ines Ligron, who also took Korea’s candidate Sun Lee under her wing. Mima has recently trained and prepared Emiri Miyasaka for Miss Universe 2009.
