TWENTY-YEAR-OLD Kristian Coke topped his fellow entrants at the 2025 edition of the Japanese Speech Competition held at the Neville Hall Lecture Theatre on the Mona campus of The University of the West Indies on Saturday, May 31.

“It feels really great to have won this year. It feels like a natural progression, because the first time I participated I came third, then last year I came second. Now, I’ve come first,” Coke told the Jamaica Observer.

Coke took part in the Level 2 portion of the competition, which focused on the topics of environment, tourism, and energy.

Contestants had to present their speeches in Japanese only, responding to questions upon its completion, also in Japanese.

Amani Cooke and Amale Reid finished second and third, respectively.

“The competition has been a really nice experience, because I do enjoy interacting with the Japanese language community in Jamaica, which has been growing. So, participating in something like this I always enjoy, and I hope to continue learning Japanese,” said Coke.

Coke unfortunately will not be sent to the regional finals in Trinidad & Tobago this year, as that larger competition is held every three years, and is next scheduled for 2027. However, he took home prizes courtesy of the Embassy of Japan in conjunction with APIC Japan, and East Japanese Restaurant.

The Level 1 tier of the event focused on the topic ‘My Favourite Things’ and it was Rochele Webster who won over Tyreese Nelson, and Matthew Alexander.

“I’m feeling proud of myself, because initially when I applied with my submission I wasn’t very confident in the speech that I submitted. I practised and tried as best as possible to make sure that my presentation was very good. So, I’m proud of myself of what I was able to do when I came up on the stage,” said Webster.

Yasuhiro Atsumi, ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, called it a privilege to continue to be a part of the competition that continues to strengthen the bond between the Japan and Jamaica, calling the six contestants all winners, and hopes that they will continue to pursue the language and Japanese culture.

Further praise was given by the judges, who admired the proficiency displayed and the emotion exhibited in several of the speeches.

After the speeches the audience on hand was treated to several performances and had to opportunity to speak with 2024 winner Tiffany Thomas, who represented Jamaica at the regional finals. She noted that Honduras won the competition, and that she was up against more fluent Japanese speakers, but she said it has spurred on her Japanese language studies.