Akiko Kojima

Akiko Kojima is genuinely one of those names that deserves more airtime than she gets. Born in Tokyo in 1936 and raised partly in Kochi, she walked into the Miss Japan pageant in 1959, won it, and then went on to take the Miss Universe crown that same year — becoming the first Japanese woman to ever do so. That was 1959, barely a decade after the war, and here was this 22-year-old standing on an international stage at Long Beach and winning it outright. At 167cm she had the presence to match, and the whole thing landed back home like a genuine cultural moment. The details of her life after the spotlight are pretty private, which honestly only adds to the mystique. You don't need the full biography when the headline achievement is that singular.

Akiko Kojima is a Japanese model and beauty pageant titleholder born on October 29, 1936, in Gotokuji, Tokyo. She attended Kochi Municipal Kochi Commercial High School before going on to win the Miss Japan title in 1959. That same year she represented Japan at Miss Universe 1959. She stands 167 cm tall.

Name (English)

Akiko Kojima

Name (Japanese)

児島明子

Reading

こじま あきこ

Born

October 29, 1936 (age 89)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Scorpio / Rat (Ne)

Origin

Tokyo (Gotokuji), Japan

Height

167cm

Occupation

Model / Beauty Pageant Contestant

High school

Kochi Municipal Kochi Commercial High School

Awards & achievements

• 1959 — Miss Japan
• Miss Universe 1959

Motto

Private

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%85%90%E5%B3%B6%E6%98%8E%E5%AD%90

Tags

• From Tokyo
• Model
• Beauty Pageant Contestant

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.