Japan's first high school English debate tournament ended in Gifu on Dec. 17 with a team from Shizuoka Prefecture winning the cup and the chance to participate in an international contest next July in South Korea. The winning team was from Katoh Gakuen Gyoshu High School. Fifty-two teams took part, with 206 students from 38 high schools in 17 prefectures. The debate topic was whether Japan should make English an official language. (Kyodo)