Priyanka Yoshikawa, former Miss Japan, is impressed like many others by Naomi Osaka not only because of her tennis results but also for her personality.
During a recent interview, Priyanka commented
“Naomi is definitely a role model. Japan should be proud of her; she can definitely break down walls, she will have a big impact. The way she speaks, and her humbleness, are so Japanese.”
Because of her Indian origin, Priyanka is defined an ‘haafu’ in Japan that means ‘half’ and it’s used to define ‘mixed race.’ In this regards, Priyanka commented “Japan puts all ‘haafu’ in the same bucket. Whether you’re part Russian, American or African, you’re still categorized as ‘haafu’ in Japan.”
The difference between Yoshikawa and Naomi is that the US Champion speaks hardly any Japanese because she moved to the US with her family when she was a toodler.
Talking about the language, Priyanka added “It’s not about language. Why does that bother people? It’s just because she has darker skin and is mixed race. People still ask me if I eat curry every day or if I can use chopsticks!
But she’s what she thinks she is. If you think you’re Japanese, you’re Japanese.”
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