2015.11.16
Kayo Jonai, a third-year student in the Faculty of Policy Management, participated as the representative of Kanagawa Prefecture in the 60th Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Minister's Cup All Japan Youth Oratorical Contest and won the Grand Prize. She also received the Wakayama Prefectural Governor's Award and the Honorary Chairman's Award of the MEXT Minister's Cup All Japan Youth Oratorical Contest.
The MEXT Minister's Cup All Japan Youth Oratorical Contest is a historic competition with a history of over half a century, dating back to 1956. It is a Japanese-language speech contest that brings together people aged 15 to under 40 from all over Japan, including junior high school students, high school students, university students, and working adults.
Comments from Kayo Jonai
The 60th MEXT Minister's Cup All Japan Youth Oratorical Contest was held on November 3 on Mount Koya, which is celebrating its 1200th anniversary. The mountain was bustling with many tourists, and the autumn leaves were in their magnificent colors.
Although I am good at writing essays, I have little experience in public speaking and have never received any coaching, so I applied with the intention of learning from the other speakers. I was first surprised by the high level of the junior high and high school students, and the speeches by university students who had trained hard in speech clubs were very impressive.
My speech was titled "Aiming for a Society That Excludes No One." I argued that if each of us holds and acts on inclusive principles, we can reflect the ideal form of society. Although I had no skills other than passion, I am very honored to have received such high praise, and I was also able to discover the joy of public speaking.