[citation needed] She turned down a job offer from a publishing company in order to compete in the Miss Universe Japan pageant, which was held on April 25, 2006, in Tokyo.

works as a feature reporter, flying around the world to interview people for a leading fashion magazine in Japan.

[3] Since October 2006, she has appeared regularly on the Nippon Television show "News Zero", reporting from both domestic and international locations, and launched her endorsement career as a spokesperson for more than four[vague] world-famous brands in 2007.

[5] In late December, Global Beauties named Kurara as the Sexiest Woman Alive 2006, a title formerly held by Miyako Miyazaki.

In December 2013, Chibana was elected as the Japanese Ambassador for United Nations World Food Program for her contributions to the organization as a celebrity partner.