Konosuke Yamada (1st year) and Haruno Takeba (1st year) Win 1st and 3rd Place in the University Beginner Category at the 4th Spanish Speech Contest 2026

On Saturday, September 12, 2026, the 4th Spanish Speech Contest 2026 (organized by International Press and Aizawa Corporation) was held at Instituto Cervantes Tokyo. Konosuke Yamada, a first-year student in the Faculty of Business and Commerce, won first place in the University Beginner category, and Haruno Takeba, also a first-year student in the same faculty, won third place in the same category.

This contest, now in its fourth year, is held with the aim of promoting exchange between Japan and Latin America/the Spanish-speaking world. It is supported by the embassies of Latin American countries in Japan and Instituto Cervantes Tokyo, among others. The beginner category is open to learners who have been studying Spanish for less than two years at high school or university. Participants deliver a speech of up to three minutes on a topic of their choice, and are judged on five criteria: content, linguistic expression, vocal expression, facial expression/body language, and presentation.