Parliamentary Debate World Conference & Competition

Event Overview

This is an international cultural exchange competition between selected Japanese high school students and high school students from several countries around the world through parliamentary debates conducted in English.
　
(Participants: 3 students and 1 teacher from each school: 4 students in total)

High school students of the same generation with diverse cultural backgrounds will acquire the ability to play an active role in international society in the future.

PDWC Purpose

This event has the following aims:

Foster lifelong friendships between high school students from Japan and around the world through debate, encouraging the exchange of diverse ideas and laying the foundation for global peace.

Promote mutual understanding and respect for the history and culture of different regions, embracing diversity with joy.

Provide international students from around the world with the opportunity to experience Japan, encouraging them to share Japanese culture and traditions with the world.

Message from the Founder

This year marks the landmark 10th anniversary of PDWC.

This milestone has only been made possible by the connections—

"kizuna" in Japanese—we have built with all those who have supported us over the years, and we extend our heartfelt thanks.

Many high school students who have participated in PDWC have built lasting connections, and even after 10 years, these connections continue to thrive, which deeply moves us.

We hope many more of you will join us this year to share in this special time. All of our staff are sincerely looking forward to meeting you.

Kazuko Nakadai
President, PDWC
Chair, WakuPro Foundation

Partner Organization

Debate Mate works with our charitable programme Debate Mate Schools to deliver its programmes. Debate Mate Schools is an educational charity that uses the brightest university students to run after-school debate clubs in areas of high child poverty across the world. Over the last nine years, we have successfully taught over 25,000 young people to debate in the UK, USA, Jamaica, Nepal, Dubai, Doha, Mexico, Rwanda, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, China, Japan, Korea and Israel.

Margaret McCabe
Barrister-at-Law
CEO & Founder

Team Members

Kazuko Nakadai

President, PDWC
Chair, WakuPro Foundation

Shigemi Sugita

Vice-president, PDWC
Director, WakuPro Foundation
Saitama Prefectural Assembly Member
Chairman of the board, Heritage Resort Tokinoyu Onsen, Takane K.K

Misako Fujita

Executive Committee Chief
Director, WakuPro Foundation
President, Nakadai Office Center Co. Ltd.

Kanami Yasuba

Staff
PDWC Project Manager

Chris Clayton

Staff
PDWC Design Director

Midori Sasaki

Staff
PDWC Relations Manager

Ambrose Bishop

Staff

PDWC Logistics Manager

Apply to Join PDWC

PDWC2026 Pamphlet Download

PDWC 2026 Debate Conference Application Guidelines

Requirements to Participate

We accept applications from schools that meet the following criteria:

Can commit to participation on all scheduled days of the program.
Will nominate students who are enthusiastic about engaging with peers from around the world.
Will select students who have a strong interest in learning about debate.
For overseas schools: Selected students must hold a valid passport by Monday, September 30

Application period:
Sunday, June 1 – Monday, June 30, 2025

Number of schools recruited: 10 schools from Japan and 10 schools from outside Japan (total 20 schools)

Team Composition: 1 team consists of 3 students and 1 accompanying teacher, totaling 4 members.

Mixed gender and grade levels are acceptable (but only for enrolled students).

International/exchange students are not eligible to participate.

How to Apply

Fill in the below application form under 'Apply as a School' with the following details:

School Name
Participating Students (3 students):
- Full Name
- Date of Birth
- Gender
Accompanying Teacher:
- Full Name
- Date of Birth
- Gender
- Contact Information (Email and Phone)
Short Video (about 1 minute self-introduction per participant). Please refer to the application form for more details.

Important Notes

Changes to participants after the selection is finalized are in principle not accepted.

Applications must be submitted by the accompanying teacher only.

Changes to participants after selection are generally prohibited.

Please obtain the principal's consent before applying.

Applications and inquiries must be submitted by accompanying teachers only.

Once participation is confirmed, please ensure smooth communication with WakuPro,

including the submission of required documents.

For students with severe allergies or health conditions that are difficult to manage

independently, please consult us before applying.

Apply as a School

If you want to be one of the schools connecting with high school students from around the world to discuss today’s social issues and build lifelong friendships, apply here.

Coming Soon