Tribune News Network
Doha
The 14th Japanese Speech Contest was organised on Saturday by the Embassy of Japan in Qatar in collaboration with Qatar University and the Japanese Language Teachers Association in Qatar (JALTAQ).
The contest, held at the Research Complex at Qatar University, saw the participation of 15 Japanese language learners in Qatar, who competed in three categories to demonstrate their linguistic abilities.
In his opening remarks, the Ambassador of Japan to the State of Qatar H.E. Satoshi Maeda, expressed his appreciation to the sponsors, judges, participants, Qatar University and JALTAQ for supporting and promoting the Japanese language education in Qatar. Ambassador Maeda also emphasised that the speech contest leads to the further deepening of the amicable relations between Japan and Qatar.
Fatima Al-Marzoqi, a Qatari national, won the first-place prize in the advanced category. She delivered a speech on the challenges she faced in her journey to master the Japanese language which drew applause from both the judges and the audience.
Ahmed Almohannadi, who is currently pursuing his master’s degree at Tokyo Metropolitan University in Japan under the Japanese government scholarship (MEXT Scholarship), shared his experience about life in Japan during an online talk session. He stressed the importance of studying Japanese language and how it opened up new horizons for him.
The following Japanese and local companies sponsored the contest, thereby showing the great importance of the event for both Japanese and Qatari business societies: Chiyoda Almana Engineering, Chubu Electric Power Company, Darwish Holding (FNAC, Sony, Yamaha), Itochu Corporation (Junko Sushi and Japanese Dining), JALTAQ, LNG Japan, Marubeni Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation, MUFG Bank, Ninja Ramen restaurant and Sumitomo Corporation.
The member of a delegation of Japan’s Kyushu University visiting Qatar on an official mission to promote studying abroad in Japan for Qatari citizens, also attended the event. They set up an information desk during the event where a number of participants asked questions on studying abroad in Japan.
The annual event became a wonderful occasion to embrace the Japanese language and culture in Qatar and a great addition to the existing Japan-Qatar bilateral cooperation in cultural and education sectors as the Embassy of Japan in Qatar and JALTAQ collaborated with Qatar University for organising the event.