Representatives of Kagoshima Prefecture and their cattle are seen after winning an award for best breeding cattle at the Zenkyo national wagyu beef competition held in Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture.
KAGOSHIMA, Oct. 12 – Representatives from Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures in the Kyushu region in southwestern Japan won the top prizes on Oct. 10 at the close of the 12th Zenkyo national wagyu beef competitive exhibition held in Kagoshima Prefecture, dubbed the National wagyu beef competition.
Among those awarded the best prize in each of the nine categories in the five-day competition, held once every five years, the prime minister’s award for best cattle in terms of breed improvement went to Kagoshima, while Miyazaki scored the top prize for beef quality.
It was the second time for Kagoshima to take the top spot for best breeding cattle after winning the award in 1992. Miyazaki won best beef cattle in two competitions in a row and for the third time. The previous contest was held in 2017 in Miyagi Prefecture.
Shintaro Ochiai, 26, one of the representatives of Kagoshima, said, “We could win the prize because we had cattle handed down from our grandfathers and fathers. I’m still young, but I want to keep working to pass it down to the next generation.”
Kosei Baba, 68, a member of the team representing Miyazaki who won the prize for two contests in a row, said the achievement proves the good taste of Miyazaki beef.
“I’m deeply impressed,” Baba said. “I believe that not only our beef but our calves will be given higher marks.”
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attended the closing ceremony held in Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, and handed a certificate of merit and a trophy to the winners of the prime minister’s award. It was the first time for an incumbent prime minister to be present at the ceremony.
“Wagyu is Japan’s treasure,” Kishida said. “I strongly hope the competition will offer an opportunity for wagyu beef’s attractiveness and productivity to be improved and passed onto future generations.”
Winners for each of the nine categories had been selected by Oct. 9 and Kagoshima came in first place in six of the categories, while Miyazaki won in two and Oita, also in the Kyushu region, came out on top in one category.
A record 41 of the country’s 47 prefectures participated in the competition with 438 bulls and cows.
The next competition will be held in Hokkaido in 2027.