Wednesday, March 11, 2009

The Prime Minister Receives a Courtesy Call from Winners of the High School Speech Contest on Northern Territories

Prime Minister Aso Taro received a courtesy call at the Prime Minister's Office from the top winners of the twenty third High School Speech Contest on the Northern Territories and talked with them.

This event is contested by high school students in Hokkaido, with the aim of fostering an interest among the youth, who will take on the next generation, in the Northern Territories issue and the campaign for their return, as well as further raising public awareness of the issue. This year, the contest was held in Sapporo City, Hokkaido, on January 24. The first prize was awarded to Moe Kobayashi from Hakodate Shirayuri Gakuen High School (left in the photo), while the second prize went to Akari Nishiyama from Hokkaido Sapporo Tsukisamu High School (right in the photo).

Prime Minister Aso encouraged them saying, "It is important that the younger generations maintain their interest in the Northern Territories issue. Keep up your efforts."