JFTC is sponsoring JFTC Essay Competition 2017 to encourage students, young researchers and business people to express their opinions on matters of national and international importance.
| 1. Essay Topic |
The Ideal Future Free Trade System
– Tasks and Solutions –
Free trade aims to achieve economic development by promoting free transactions of goods and services in a global economy which is becoming increasingly interdependent. On the other hand, protectionist movements also have been emerging, criticizing free trade for giving rise to increases in economic disparity and unemployment. As a result, growing arguments are being made on both sides for the advantages and disadvantages of a free trade system.
- What advantages are people around the world gaining through free trade, and, to the contrary, what are the disadvantages?
- What kinds of measures are conceivable in order to further increase the advantages while reducing the disadvantages?
- In addition, what should “those concerned” do in order to achieve these measures?
In addition to your responses to these questions, please present your argument for what an ideal free trade system should look like in the future. In particular, essays which include analyses and suggestions about the part played by shosha companies are welcome.
[Tips on writing your essay]
- When writing your essay, various approaches are conceivable, including a comparison of the past history and the present, or an introduction to and comment on theories, which are not limited to your logical composition or reasoning. We ask for constructive and concrete suggestions that go beyond any analyses.
- As for “those concerned,” governments, political leaders, private companies, individuals, and international organizations are all possible options. However, it is not required to mention the parts played by all of these parties. In addition, “those concerned” are not necessarily limited to only these parties.
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| 2. Prize |
One Grand Prize of ¥1,000,000
Three Prizes for Excellence of ¥200,000 each
The award winners from abroad will be provided with a round-trip air ticket to Tokyo, Japan to attend the award ceremony to be held on January 5, 2018.
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| 3. Judges |
| Chair |
Mr. Atsushi Nakajima, Chairman, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry, IAA |
| Vice Chair |
Ms. Kaori Iida, Los Angeles Bureau Chief, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) |
| Vice Chair |
Dr. Keiichiro Kobayashi, Professor, Faculty of Economics, Keio University |
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| 4. Qualification |
Anyone can apply for the essay competition, regardless of nationality or age. |
| 5. Language |
English (2,000-4,000 words) or Japanese (5,000-10,000 characters). Each essay MUST BE accompanied by an essay summary of no more than 400words in English/ 1,000 Japanese characters.
* One diagram or chart is counted as 200 words. If the number of the words, including diagram or charts, is less than half of 4,000 words or more than the limitation, such work could be disqualified. |
| 6. Deadline |
September 8, 2017 at 24:00 (JST)
We CANNOT accept any essays after this time. The entry page will be really congested at around the deadline time. It is recommended to apply earlier to avoid technical difficulty accessing the page. |
| 7. Terms of Reference |
- Essays must be submitted in the specified format sheet downloaded from our website. Unless both essay title and summary are presented, such application shall be deemed incomplete and will NOT be evaluated.
- All submissions must be original and should be submitted with an entry form completely filled out.
- When you indicate sources cited, please put them concisely. Submitted work will not be returned.
- Essays developed by teams will be accepted under the name of the representative of the team. Please be noted that when an essay developed by a team were awarded, only the representative of the team would be invited. When the result of the evaluation is announced, the name of the team is publicized.
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| 8. Announcement |
Award winners will be publicly announced on December 8, 2017.
The award winners from abroad will be provided with a round trip air ticket to Tokyo, Japan to attend the award ceremony to be held on January 5, 2018. |
| 9. Frequently Asked Questions |
Please read the FAQ page. |
| 10. Contact Address |
Japan Foreign Trade Council, Inc., Public Relations & Research Group
6th Floor, World Trade Center Building, 2-4-1, Hamamatsu-cho, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-6106, Japan
Tel: +81-3-3435-5964 E-mail: kouhou@jftc.or.jp
Web site: www.jftc.or.jp |
