The 53rd Miss International 2013 will be held in Tokyo for the first time in six years. Early next month, 70 contestants from around the world, including Japan's representative Yukiko Takahashi (25, from Tokyo), will travel to Japan to experience Japanese culture. The final competition, to be held at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel on December 17, will select and announce the three winners, as well as the Miss Friendship Award, determined by a vote among the contestants, and the Miss National Costume Award, given to the contestant who best showcases their country's national costume. Judges include Akie Abe, wife of the Prime Minister of Japan, and Mariko Bando, president of Showa Women's University and author of "Women's Dignity." The Miss International Beauty Pageant (commonly known as Miss International), founded in the United States in 1960, is one of the world's three major beauty pageants, alongside Miss World and Miss Universe. More than just competing for physical beauty, Misses from around the world who aim to contribute to the international community gather as "Goodwill Ambassadors of Peace and Beauty" to deepen exchanges between countries through social contributions such as charity events and cross-cultural communication. The rights to host the event were transferred to Japan in commemoration of the World Expo held in Osaka Prefecture in 1970. At last year's world competition held in Okinawa Prefecture, Ikumi Yoshimatsu from Saga Prefecture became the first Japanese to win the world championship.