Embassy of Japan in Nigeria announces 6th Japanese language speech contest for Nigerian learners
By Sabiu Abdullahi
The Embassy of Japan in Nigeria has announced a call for entries for the 6th edition of its Nihongo Speech Contest, inviting Nigerian students and enthusiasts of the Japanese language to demonstrate their speaking skills.
In a notice published on its official website on January 28, 2026, the embassy said the competition is aimed at promoting Japanese language learning in Nigeria while providing a platform for learners to gain recognition for their proficiency.
According to the announcement, the contest will begin with a preliminary round requiring applicants to submit a recorded video of their speech in Japanese. The submission deadline is February 22, 2026. Only candidates selected from this stage will proceed to the final phase.
The main round of the competition will take place as a live event on March 14, 2026, in Abuja, where shortlisted participants will present their speeches before judges and invited guests.
Eligibility And Categories
The embassy stated that the contest is open to Nigerian citizens residing in the country. However, Japanese language teachers and past winners of the Best Performance Award at the contest are not eligible to participate.
Participants will compete in two categories:
Beginner Category: For applicants who have never stayed in Japan, have stayed for less than one month, or have not studied Japanese at university level.
Experienced Category: For those who have spent one month or more in Japan, such as for academic exchange programmes, or have studied Japanese at the university level.
Application And Video Guidelines
Applicants are required to upload their speech videos to a cloud storage platform, social media page, or YouTube, and then submit the link through the embassy’s designated application form.
The embassy outlined specific technical and content requirements for submissions:
-Only one video is permitted per applicant.
-Speeches must be delivered in Japanese and must not exceed three minutes.
-Themes are open, but topics reflecting original ideas rather than simple travel experiences in Japan may score higher.
-Videos must be recorded in a single take without editing, using a static camera.
-File size must not exceed 1GB.
+Accepted formats are MP4 or MOV.
Promoting Language And Cultural Exchange
The Nihongo Speech Contest forms part of the embassy’s cultural and educational outreach initiatives designed to strengthen linguistic and cultural ties between Japan and Nigeria.
Japanese language education has continued to grow in Nigeria in recent years, with speech contests, scholarships, and exchange programmes serving as key avenues for engagement between both countries.
Interested applicants are expected to complete their submissions on or before February 22, 2026, ahead of the live finale scheduled for March in Abuja.