Japan has chosen its representative for the 2008 Elite Model Look international competition, which is scheduled to be held in China this October. 19-year-old Yui Hara, a 2nd-year junior college student from Kagoshima, won the Grand Prix in the model division of Japan's finals, earning her the right to compete in China. She emerged as the winner from a pool of about 3,000 hopefuls.

The entertainment division of the competition found its winner in 12-year-old Risa Kamiya, an Okinawan idol currently in her first year of junior high. Kamiya, who has been attending dance school for four years, said she wants to be a singer like fellow Okinawan Namie Amuro, but also hopes to be active as an actress and TV talento.