Akiko Kojima represented Japan at Miss Universe 1959 on 24th July 1959 at Long Beach Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California, United States. She was the first Japanese and Asian woman to win the title of Miss Universe. Akiko worked as a professional model in Tokyo after her Miss Universe 1959 reign for a while. She said that she really wanted a simple life. ‘To be a lovely wife and to raise a big family.’