Competition · In person
A national speech contest on the United Nations co-organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Association of Japan; the four special-award winners join a youth delegation to UN Headquarters in New York the following spring. The 74th (2027) call has not been published yet.
Students give a speech in Japanese of up to 6 minutes on one of the set themes about the United Nations (2026 themes included what Japan should do for a UN criticised as dysfunctional, and what kind of UN they would build as Secretary-General). Scoring: content 70 points, delivery 30 points. Prefectural representatives compete at the national final for 10 awards, including Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister of Justice and MEXT Minister awards. The four special-award winners are sent to New York the next spring as the Oku-Inoue Memorial Japan Youth UN Delegation to visit UN Headquarters.