Behind Riyo Mori's striking presence that helped win her the Miss Universe 2007 crown last month was an unflinching confidence that she would triumph over the 76 other contestants from around the world.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='250' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2007/nn20070630f3a.jpg' WIDTH='250' HEIGHT='162'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B>Ines Ligron, national director for Miss Universe Japan, watches Miss Universe 2007 Riyo Mori speak during a news conference in Tokyo on June 11. </B> YOSHIAKI MIURA PHOTO</FONT></TD> </TR> <TABLE> </PHOTO> <PARAGRAPH>But it was Ines Ligron, Japan's national director for Miss Universe, who turned Mori from a chubby dancer from Shizuoka when she came to her a year ago into a global star.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>The elegant 44-year-old Frenchwoman has trained Japanese contestants for 10 years. She told The Japan Times in a recent interview that her focus is on redefining Japan's perception of beauty.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>'I feel that the concept of feminine has been long mistaken here,' Ligron said, speaking in English.</PARAGRAPH> <PARAGRAPH>She scoffs at the popular ideal of the 'kawaii' –

and "sekushii" (sexy) woman.

"The kawaii concept is for 12-year-old girls," she said. "Real beauty for women comes from the inside. It's a mental thing. It's about sensuality and intelligence."

Ligron said the current concept of beauty can be seen by looking at all the young women who dye their hair blonde, something the Miss Universe director said makes them look like "mushrooms."

"To them, the beauty is only about their face. They don't understand that their body, the hips, the shoulders . . . are all key factors in being seductive."