The 43rd Annual Ontario Japanese Speech Contest

The 43rd Annual Ontario Japanese Speech Contest (hosted by the the Organizing Committee for the Ontario Japanese Speech Contest) was held on March 1 at the University of Toronto. In his opening remarks, Consul-General of Japan Matsunaga Takeshi extended encouragement for the contestants, stating that Japanese language learners are an invaluable part of Japan-Canada friendship. The contest consisted of four divisions - beginner, intermediate, advanced and open - and a total of 34 contestants gave speeches that were carefully crafted around topics they considered to be important. The first place winners in each category will now go on to compete in the 36th Canadian National Japanese Speech Contest to be held at York University on March 30. The full text of the Consul-General's speech is available here.