Top �� What's up around the Prime Minister �� March, 2003

Winners of High School Speech Contest on Northern Territories Pay Courtesy Call on Prime Minister Tuesday, March 11, 2003 Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi received a courtesy call at the Prime Minister's Official Residence from the two top winners of the seventeenth High School Speech Contest on the Northern Territories. This Contest was held with participation of contestants representing fifteen high schools in Hokkaido. The first prize (the Minister of Foreign Affairs Prize) was awarded to Kenta Ito, a second-year student at Sapporo Commercial High School, while second prize (the Governor of Hokkaido Prize) went to Chisa Yoshida, a third-year student at Hakodate Shirayuri Gakuen High School. Prime Minister Koizumi congratulated the two on their distinguished achievement and encouraged them by stating, "It is harder to sum everything up in five minutes than it is to give an hour-long speech. I am sure that you have been practicing a lot."