Ayano Kudo

13-year-old Ayano Kudo wins 12th All Japan Bishojo Contest

Thursday 06th August, 05:00 AM JST

TOKYO —

Ayano Kudo, a first-year junior high school student from Miyazaki Prefecture, took out the Grand Prix at the 12th All Japan Bishojo (Beautiful Young Girl) Contest held at the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka this week. The contest, which attracted 94,810 applications this time from girls nationwide aged 12 to 20, helped propel the careers of current leading actresses such as Aya Ueto, 23, and Ryoko Yonekura, 34.

Kudo picked up 2 million yen for the top prize, and when asked what she would do with the money, she said she wanted to buy a new bicycle. She also won the prize in the model category, the first time in the competition’s history someone has taken out this double. Kudo is 165 cm tall.

Kudo said she hoped to be a model popular not only in Japan but also on the world stage, and said she wanted to meet Miyazaki Gov Hideo Higashikokubaru to help promote her prefecture of birth. She will begin traveling from Kyushu to Tokyo for modeling lessons in the near future.

Mizuki Sato, 14, won in the performance category; Risako Togano, 14, won in the music category; Mari Tamashiro, 15, won in the multi-media category; and Saeka Konishi, 14, Ria Tamaki, 12, and Kotomi Onaka, 12, won jury special awards.

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Latest 15 of 31 Total Comments Show All

WMD at 05:27 PM JST - 6th August

13? far too young for this sort of contest. Why did her parents let her take part I wonder? Come back in 5 years.
usaexpat at 11:43 PM JST - 6th August

She's cute, I hope she has a successful career.
usaexpat at 11:46 PM JST - 6th August

chuckers, if this is your typical beauty pageant they occur all over the world. People don't pretend that there aren't little miss whatever pageants where you come from and the kids are as young as 4 or 5 doing the swimsuit thing. At 13 there are girls modeling clothes and such what's the differnce here? I think she got presented with a good opportunity that can give her a career in modeling or acting, nothing wrong with that.
chuckers at 10:24 AM JST - 7th August

chuckers, if this is your typical beauty pageant they occur all over the world.

I think you might have meant that for WMD but as it happens, I think 13 is too young for these silly things as well. 4 or 5 is WAY too young as well. Seeing all those images of Jon Bennet Ramsey in her little Miss whatsit performance made me physically ill. 4-5 year olds painted up like little tarts is feeding pedophilia.

What is the point of modelling? And for whom is a 13 year old modelling for? The target market doesn't exactly have that much disposable income. Has anyone ever met someone that actually wears clothes they see in fashion shows?

Acting, I will give you. But what happened to bettering one's self by going to school? A good actor/actress ought to have a well rounded vocabulary. Schooling will help with that.
usaexpat at 11:35 PM JST - 7th August

Sorry chuckers, it was intended for moonbeams, you were just quoting the post. Anyway, I figure she models for clothing catalogs for the Junior High set. They may not personally have much money, but mom and dad usually spring for the expensive clothes and such. I agree 100% about the Jon Bennet Ramsey angle, the point I was trying to make is that is far more disturbing than what we have here which looks like a pageant that leads to employment opportunities.
KyotoChris at 12:07 AM JST - 8th August

I agree these pageants all seem silly and smell of yakuza even more so but they are not just in Japan but held all over the world. [recall chuckers JonBenét Ramsey example] Some outside see it as exploitation. When I was young my female friends thought it was exciting to be in them and wanted to be but if I had a daughter I certainly wouldn't approve of her being in one nor will I allow my son to watch them. (though I'm sure he does at his friend's house)
DenDon at 03:35 AM JST - 8th August

no national beautiful young boy contest? arararara how can it be?
Fadamor at 03:48 AM JST - 8th August

This contest seems benign compared to some of the ones the Ramsey kid entered. If this title gets her a decent-paying job that doesn't require her to flop on her back then good for her!
BAYANI98 at 07:53 AM JST - 8th August

I shall be eagerly awaiting her U-15 debut.
chuckers at 08:46 AM JST - 8th August

no national beautiful young boy contest?

They have those too, I am sure. How do you think Johnnie recruits his next ... uh ... victims?
presto345 at 05:59 PM JST - 8th August

And Japanese people wonder why the rest of the world thinks that Japan is populated by perverted sickos who get off by looking at 13 year-olds in swimsuits, its not OK Japan.

'Perverted sickos' could only come from someone who knows all the mechanics. Let me defend Japan by mentioning that it is countries in the EU where on a regular basis child pornography rings are rolled up.

she's tall but not very cute

Were you there?

The audience was as Mittsu described "dirty old men".

Were YOU there?

This girl has a dream. The contest is a way to a means. If the parents support that, who are you (we) to criticize that? And who can predict what kind of education she will have? Please come up with something sensible.
bdiego at 06:18 PM JST - 8th August

It's just a contest. All the creeps have to come out and beat their drums, ironic.
usaexpat at 11:18 PM JST - 8th August

Were still here, she's still cute and people's moral outrage still gives me a good laugh. This isn't child porn boys it's a modelling contest, get a grip.
roppongidaisuki at 12:01 PM JST - 9th August

> And for whom is a 13 year old modelling for? The target market doesn't exactly have that much disposable income. > Are you joking? They have massive amounts of money.Have you never been to Disneyland especially the shops when things wind up for the day.Not uncommon for thousands of 13 year olds to blow $500 in a day there And this is Japan everyone.13 is the age of consent here I think so standards are different
knews at 08:28 AM JST - 11th August

Like it or not, some models in the West start their modeling careers at 13 or 14 years old. Milla Jovovich springs to mind as one of these. Is it so different from young athletes like tennis players? They start even younger...