The “President’s Cup Japanese Speech Competition for International Students,” which was first held last year, took place for the second time on November 29, and ten international students studying in Kochi University competed in it. In addition to a panel of judges that included the President and other judges from both inside and outside the university, an organization for international exchanges run by Japanese students and the audience took part in the selection process. The winner of the top prize was Yiwen Ma, a student from China who delivered a speech entitled “Japan Discovered in Novels,” and was awarded a trophy by President Wakiguchi.

　Comments from the audience include: “I was surprised at the fluency with which the international students spoke Japanese,” “It was inspiring and encouraging to see them giving their best effort in their speeches even though they were nervous,” and “Their speeches, told from the viewpoint of people from other countries, were so interesting that I thought they should be heard by more people.”

　This program ended with a social gathering in an on-campus co-op cafeteria, in which international students, Japanese students, faculty members and participants from outside the university enjoyed talking to each other while sharing their thoughts about the speech competition.
 

<Yiwen Ma, top prize winner>	< Lu Yan, outstanding performance prize winner>
<International students who participated in the competition and judges>