Student debaters' organisation Japan Parliamentary Debate Union (JPDU) organises an intensive workshop (internally called a seminar) twice a year.

The goal of seminars are simple: to give Japan's debaters opportunities to become more competitive in international tournaments. In order to do so, JPDU invites renowned coaches from overseas universities.

Still, students are not always affluent enough for guest coaches. That is why JPDU launched its sponsorship programme aiming to gain supports from external organisation including private companies.

On our sponsor acquisition project, one of the key actions was establishing a strong brand to appeal to potential sponsor by differentiating our activities from other students'.

The impact of branding was phenomenal. Within just a couple of months, sponsor acquisition project team contracted with multiple companies including Japan's leading newspaper publisher The Asahi Shimbun Company.

With such significant supports from sponsors and active alumni, Japanese debaters are increasing presence in international debating arena.