She was crowned Miss Universe 1959, making her the first Japanese and Asian woman to win the title.

[1] Kojima was a 22-year-old model from Tokyo, Japan, when she won over four other finalists from Norway, the U.S., England, and Brazil for the 1959 Miss Universe crown in Long Beach, California.

[3] A year later, Akiko crowned Linda Bement from the United States in 1960.

Forty eight years later after her reign, Japanese Riyo Mori won the Miss Universe pageant in 2007.

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