25th Female Foreign Students’ Japanese Speech Contest (WFWP Japan)

Written by: Sato Yu

On October 2, 2021, WFWP Japan hosted the national Japanese speech contest for female foreign students at the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center in Tokyo.

Since the venue had limited capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we arranged the speech contest as a hybrid event that combined live physical (in-person) with virtual online experiences. The audience at the venue was 140 people in total, but in addition, many people watched the contest via live stream from 77 locations. Despite the global pandemic, this hybrid event was able to deliver wonderful speeches to viewers all over Japan.

From June to July 2021, a total of 161 foreign students from 27 countries participated in the regional tournaments held in 31 locations across Japan. The winners of the preliminary round were eight female foreign students from Morocco, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. Each speaker was dressed in their own beautiful ethnic attire, which made the venue pop with vibrance. At the national Japanese speech contest, the eight women gave great speeches passionately and charmed the audience.

All of the speeches were so wonderful that it was difficult to judge them. The winner of the very close competition was Ms. Trinh Thien Ngan from Vietnam, the representative of Osaka Hokusetsu region. In her speech titled "My Country and Japan," Ms. Trinh claimed, "The stereotypes and assumptions that permeate many people create invisible barriers between people. Let's get rid of these stereotypes and assumptions by interacting with various people and discussing culture.” Based on her own experiences through studying abroad in Japan, she presented her thoughts energetically.

The second place went to Tugusbayar Enerel from Mongolia, and the third place went to Amina N.A. Ouali from Morocco and Malika Kerimbayeva from Kazakhstan. Each speaker shared their dreams and thoughts in peace and the venue was filled with thunderous applause.

The finalists’ speeches and hard work in preparing for the contest impressed the audience and helped them to understand the importance of support for foreign students.

【Audience's impressions】
“I was surprised that everyone spoke Japanese fluently and it was very easy to understand. Listening to the speeches, I feel that there is something I can do for world peace, and I would like to do my activities with confidence from now on. It gave me a lot of insights and was a very meaningful time for me.”

“I thought everyone was full of energy and hope in their speeches. They must have had different experiences and hardships from those of us who were born and raised in Japan. It was wonderful that each of them had their own opinions and dreams.”

“All the speeches by the international students were excellent. I thought it was amazing that they were able to learn Japanese and express their thoughts in front of many people. I hope they have great successes in their future from the bottom of my heart.”


“Joining the “WFWP Female Foreign Students’ Japanese Speech Contest '' improves their public speaking skills, and also gives them a good opportunity to interact with other students. WFWP Japan will continue to support foreign students in their fulfilling student life in Japan and contribute to the development of women’s leadership.”