We hold a music contest for international students studying in Japan. Participants play instruments, perform dance, or sing on stage in front of an audience and a judging panel.  His Imperial Highness the Princess Takamado and the late Prince Takamado have been patrons of the music contest since the very start. The musicians are judged by guest composers, singers or famous people from the music industry. This contest was first held in 1980, and since then it has been held every two to three years. We believe that an event like the Foreign Students' Music Contest will increase Japanese people’s interests in and, awareness of the foreign students in Japan. In return, a cultural exchange program like this affords opportunity to deepen the mutual understandings between the Japanese and the foreign students. Followings are comments from previous participants of the contest: