The International Education Center is seeking participants for its 38th annual International Speech Contest in Japanese, scheduled for June 21.
Contestants will be required to deliver a seven-minute speech on any noncommercial, nonreligious topic, and to field questions from the floor. Applicants must be at least 15 years old, and their native language must not be Japanese. Previous winners of the contest are not allowed to apply.
The preliminary selection will be based on an evaluation of tape recordings and manuscripts of the speech. Between 10 to 12 people will be chosen as the final contestants.
The event is sponsored by the Japan Foundation and The International Education Center, and is supported by the Foreign Ministry, The Japan Times and other companies and organizations. The application deadline is May 7. Application forms are available by contacting the Cultural Exchange Section, International Education Center, at (03) 3359-0561 or by writing to the center at 1-21 Yotsuya, Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo 160.