[1] Since then Mima has returned to sports and competed seven times at the Japan National Track and Field Competition.
She competes in the track and field team with a high jump of 1.65 m, approaching her own height of 1.73 m.[2] Shortly after losing her grandmother, who died when she slipped on the bathroom floor, Mima lost her father in a car accident before winning Miss Universe Japan 2008.
Staged at the Tokyo International Forum, the final competition featured a "Fashion Island" performance.
The nine other contestants who competed against Hiroko Mima were: Kana Anan, Sayo Yamaguchi, Yukari Honna, Moe Aoki, Yuri Horita, Rui Watanabe, Yoshimi Sato, Chie Hirai and Azusa Nishigaki.
She was the official representative for Japan at the Miss Universe 2008 pageant which took place in Nha Trang, Vietnam on July 14, 2008.