The Finals Day of the annual Japanese Speech Contest for University Students was held on Saturday, 1st March 2025 at Great Hall, King’s College London.

For this year, the 20th anniversary of the contest, we welcomed 24 student finalists from 10 universities across the UK, who delivered a packed programme of thought-provoking speeches and presentations for an eager audience – entirely in Japanese!

Those who missed the event, or those who did attend and wish to revisit, can view the event video on our YouTube channel below:

[Youtube Link (Coming soon)]

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The Finals Day kicked off with opening remarks by Mr OKAZAKI Yasuyuki, Minister for Public Diplomacy and Media, Embassy of Japan in the UK and Dr Ana Maria de Medeiros, Director of the King’s Language Centre at Kings’ College London. They each gave words of welcome to those gathered in the Great Hall before the finalists’ speeches and presentations began.

Individual Presentation Category

In the Individual Presentation Category - for learners studying Japanese at the post-beginner level – five finalists gave presentations using PowerPoint slides to illustrate their chosen topics.

The first prize in this category was awarded to Jessica Polito, a 2nd year student at the University of Edinburgh. Her presentation titled Learning Japanese changed me! was an inspiration for those on their own language-learning journeys.

The second prize went to Zhengxi (Kevin) Cheng, a 3rd year student at Imperial College London who explored both the benefits and potential risks of artificial intelligence in his presentation AI and a Better Society.

The three talented runners-up in this category were: YuThong Low, King’s College London (Is Generation Gap a problem?); Xuanlin (Elsa) Huang, Durham University (Embrace Imperfection in the World and Yourself, Overcome Prejudices); and Jinyoung Tak, King’s College London (What is it like Being Half Korean and Half Japanese ).

Speech Category

After a short break, the audience returned to the hall to listen to our five Speech Category finalists – all studying Japanese as either a degree or non-degree course. Finalists in this category gave speeches entirely in Japanese, without visual aids or PowerPoint slides, and responded to various questions about their selected theme posed by our interlocuter, Ms YAMAGUCHI Nozomi, Senior Language Tutor, School of Arts, Languages and Cultures, the University of Manchester.

First place in this category was awarded to Ailian Pei, 4^th year student at SOAS University of London, for her speech Challenges of Japan’s “Recruitment System for the Newly Graduated” from the Perspective of International Students, which resonated with the many students in attendance.

Theodore Nze, 4th year student at the University of Oxford, received 2nd place for his speech titled International English: The Challenge and Future of teaching English as a Lingua Franca, where he explored the various forms of English and the true meaning of a ‘global language’.

Our three runners-up also gave brilliant speeches: Michelle Aiko Boddey, SOAS University of London (Redefining Masculinity in Modern Japan); Jiachen Zhang, the University of Leeds (With the popularisation of artificial intelligence, has the value of learning a foreign language fallen?); and Leona Smith, the University of Central Lancashire (Is the international community’s criticism towards Japan’s whaling justified?).

Group Presentation Category

The Finals Day resumed with the Group Presentation Category, after a brief interval in which attendees could visit booths from our many generous sponsors. Students learning Japanese at the beginner level gave presentations in groups on a variety of interesting topics, using PowerPoint slides.

All finalists in this category were already selected as winners at the initial screening stage. This year’s presentations were: Music of England – Fleetwood Mac by Team Doppler Effect, SOAS University of London; Our Favourite Story Protagonists by Team Fluffy Fluffy, University of Bristol; Welcome to Shanghai by Team Shanghai-ce Cream, King’s College London; Women in STEM: Education vs Opportunity by Team Keele’s Science Girls and Guys, Keele University; and last but not least, Mahjong by Team Fans of Freedom, Imperial College London.

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The speeches and presentations were followed with a Japanese sing-along session led by the enthusiastic volunteers from King’s College London. The celebratory mood of the sing-along served as the perfect preface for the Finals Day award ceremony!

The award ceremony itself opened with a speech from Mr TANAKA Shin-ichi, Director of the Japan Foundation, London. Chief Judge Dr UMEZAWA Kaoru, Chair of the British Association for Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language, conveyed remarks on behalf of the judges regarding the day’s presentations and speeches.

For the award ceremony, we invited a special guest for the speech contest’s 20th anniversary – Mr Andrew Lyttle, 1st place winner at the 6th Speech Contest and graduate of SOAS University of London. Mr Lyttle shared his encouragement to finalists and reflections on the day’s proceedings before the prize-giving began in earnest.

The individual winners from each category were invited to say a few words about their experience. It was obvious how hard the students had prepared for the contest and each finalist was met with enthusiastic applause from the audience to commend their effort. Each and every finalist received prizes from our generous sponsors.

The Finals Day concluded with a photo session for finalists and sponsors, before everyone enjoyed the opportunity to network at a celebratory drinks reception - with an opening toast from Ms Jenny White, Chief Executive of the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation.

It was an honour to welcome this year’s talented finalists, along with friends, family, teachers of Japanese and other audience members from all over the country, to King’s College London’s Great Hall for an inspiring day of speeches and presentations. We hope that everyone thoroughly enjoyed this year’s contest, and we look forward to seeing you all again next year!

[Download the event programme]

[Download speech summaries and presentation abstracts (English)]

[View speech and presentation videos (Japanese)]

[View photos from Finals Day]

[See event information on the BATJ website]

Special thanks to all students who entered the contest, their teachers and supporting friends and family, the judges and interlocuter, the special guest, the audience members, King’s College London, and BATJ, who helped to make the 20th anniversary edition of the speech contest such a success.

We also extend our unending thanks to our kind and generous sponsors for supporting the event:

The 20th Japanese Speech Contest for University Students was jointly organised by the British Association for Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language (BATJ), and the Japan Foundation, London. Thank you very much to all the hardworking staff who dedicated their time to ensure a successful event.

Thank you also to King’s College London for providing the beautiful Great Hall as the Finals Day venue.