High School Beauty Contest Winner Caught in Alleged Drinking Photo Controversy Right After Winning

A woman sits at a store counter holding Korean soju.

Could this be an exposé driven by jealousy—?

On November 30, the final judging of the “High School Girl Miss Contest 2025”, which determines the cutest high school girl in Japan, was held, and A-ko was selected as the grand prize winner.

A-ko tearfully shared the hardships she faced, saying:

“There were times when people said heartless things, but my friends and everyone around me encouraged me, and I was able to overcome it.”

Yusuke Inoue (45) of the comedy duo NON STYLE, who hosted the contest, cheered the winners with:

“Ignore all heartless comments on social media!”

However, immediately after winning the grand prize, a photo on social media sparked controversy.

The exposé account DEATHDOL NOTE posted on official X, quoting the article about A-ko’s victory and including a photo dated November 30, 2024.

In the photo, a woman sits at a store counter, holding Korean soju and covering her face with her hand. Since her face is hidden, it is impossible to tell from the photo alone whether it is A-ko. It is also unclear from this alone whether she actually drank.

The site added: “Supplement: Highlights from her old Instagram”

and even revealed the location of the store. Furthermore, it claimed: “The person in the photo has been confirmed by her and her parents.”

However, the authenticity remains unverified.

“Kyo, Suki ni Narimashita” Put on Hold

The photo raising suspicions of drinking spread rapidly, reaching 42 million views as of December 2.

“She hasn’t revealed her full name or high school, but online articles mention that she was part of her middle school’s soft tennis club and won both team and doubles competitions at district tournaments. Using this information, her real name seems to have been identified on social media. If the Instagram drinking photo is genuine, since it was uploaded on her own account, it’s seen as her own responsibility.

Young people sometimes post such photos online, thinking it’s harmless, but you should always assume someone could take a screenshot. It could resurface later and affect your career,” said an entertainment industry insider.

In September this year, ABEMA’s popular youth-focused reality show “Kyo, Suki ni Narimashita” had to put the planned Macau edition on hold after smoking and drinking suspicions emerged from past posts of participating high school students, causing an online backlash.

A-ko, whose drinking photo has now surfaced, has already been engaged in local promotional projects in her hometown.

Despite her work as a PR ambassador for her region and her recent win as grand prize in the High School Girl Miss Contest, A-ko suddenly faced allegations of underage drinking. The company handling her work and media inquiries, With T Co., Ltd., was emailed for confirmation and comments regarding the issue, but no response was received by the deadline.

Additionally, the local tourism association, which appointed A-ko as a PR ambassador, told reporters:

“We haven’t received any explanation from A-ko’s side yet. We saw the photo circulating on social media, but we can’t tell if it’s her. She’s a local girl, and we want to support her. At this time, nothing has been decided regarding (removing her as ambassador, etc.).”

A-ko’s profile lists her favorite motto as: “Failure is the foundation of success.” It remains to be seen how she will overcome this current controversy.