MISS JAPAN 2010 UNIVERSE

MAIKO ITAI

MISS JAPAN 2010 UNIVERSE

The Miss Universe Japan 2010 pageant was held on March 9, 2010 at Tokyo's Shinagawa Prince Hotel. The lucky winner was 25 year-old Maiko Itai -- a former city hall employee from Oita in Kyushu.

This was a win not just for Southern Japan but for haircuts with severe bangs. Itai sported a very similar, but less extreme version of the haircut Hiroko Mima used to win her crown back in 2008.

Itai, a native of Usuki in Oita Prefecture, studied Portuguese at Sophia University, but returned to the city of Oita to work in local government. Helping out with community affairs, however, will now have to be placed on the backburner as she gears up for September's Miss Universe 2010 pageant, in a location yet to be determined.