IGS Students, Ms. Hibiki Okada and Ms. Shiming Hong, won prizes in Competitive Debate Tournament hosted by JPDU (Japan Parliamentary Debate Union) Autumn Tournament, held at Kyoto University on October 28-29, 2023. They were champions in the Rookie Category.

is a competition in which participants are divided into positive and negative sides and compete in their persuasiveness, with rules set on the content to be discussed, time, and the number of participants. Judges decide which team was more persuasive than the others.
 

Ms. Shiming Hong gave us the comment as follows.

Being a part of the debate community means you will receive a chance to exchange and expand your knowledge with debaters who have various opinions, knowledge, and backgrounds. At the beginning of my debate life, I reckoned debate as a way to prove my thoughts connection with the external environment; however, I realized I am enjoying every single moment that my inspiration is sparked, and I know people beside me are doing so. 

The Autumn Tournament of Japan Debate Union means a turning point for both me and our Hiroshima English debate society. We connected with different groups of debaters among universities and established a network to help each other. We practiced most likely every day, not only because we wanted to win, but also because we realized we truly love debate itself. It is both me and Hibiki’s first few official in-person tournaments, participating in competitions face to face is also enjoyable, especially when it was taking place in Kyoto, such a city with a deep cultural background.