Speaking practice topics

If you don't have ready access to TOEFL software here is a list of speaking topics taken from past interview questions from the Japanese Step Test level 1. This test is probably actually tougher than the TOEFL and many of the questions are based on topics customised for Japanese test takers. While this limits the applicability of the list, you may still find it useful to look over and formulate your own opinions as a means of preparing.

Briefly, if you need more interview topics, then read on.

Thanks Naoko for this list.

Dave

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英検 1 級二次トピック過去問

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2002 年第 1 回
午前
A. Japan's declining birthrate - a national crisis?
B. Cars - convenience vs. environmental concerns
C. Should capital punishment be abolished?
D. Is the Internet bringing the world's cultures closer together?
E. What is your philosophy of life?
午後
A. Is medical care too expensive in Japan?
B. Are environmental groups making a difference?
C. Should developed nations do more to help developing nations？
D. Will newspapers become obsolete in the Internet-driven 21st century?
E. World peace - a realistic future possibility?
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2001 年第 3 回
午前
A. The controversy surrounding the use of animals in experiments
B. Would you live in a space station?
C. The role of cultural traditions in modern society
D. Saving or spending - which should the government encourage?
E. Do school curricula have a well-balanced content?
午後
A. The environmental issue that most concerns human civilization
B. Space exploration: Is it worth the price?
C. Are professional athletes overpaid?
D. The social responsibilities of large corporations
E. Praise or punishment - which is more effective in educating children?
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2001 年第 2 回
午前
A. Euthanasia: The ethical dilemma of mercy-killing
B. Should job promotions be based on performance or on seniority?
C. How safe is public transportations?
D. The problem of illegal drug use
E. Where can today's children find good role models?
午後
A. The most important task facing medical science
B. Retirement: A beginning or an end?
C. How recent leadership changes have affected Japanese politics
D. Should all countries ban private ownership of guns?
E. The role of family relationships in childhood

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2001 年第 1 回
午前
A. The continuing controversy over nuclear power
B. Overmedication: Are people relying too much on medicine?
C. Should all political leaders be chosen directly by the public?
D. Which sport should be considered Japan's national sport?
E. What tomorrow's children need to study
午後
A. The ethics of science in the age of genetic engineering
B. The role of the media in shaping public opinion
C. What can be done to improve the Japanese economy?
D. Gambling: Harmless pastime or dangerous addiction?
E. Is modern education moving in the right direction?

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2000 年第 2 回
午前
A. Business ethics: Product quality vs. the profit motive
B. What things contribute to a person's quality of life?
C. Urbanization in Japan: Is there a crisis?
D. Causes and effects of juvenile delinquency
E. The Information Revolution and its effects on society
午後
A. Suggestions for improving hospital care
B. When should a person be considered mature?
C. Would more severe punishment prevent crime?
D. Do Japanese people need to become more internationally minded?
E. How the aging population will affect society

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2000 年第 1 回
午前
A. Is today's pop music too commercialized?
B. Has the Japanese work ethic changed?
C. Should there be restrictions on Internet content?
D. The advantages and disadvantages of hosting the Olympics
E. Should schoolteachers share the responsibility of parenting?
午後
A. Should professional athletes be prohibited from taking part in the Olympics?
B. The government's role in managing crisis situations
C. The future role of robots in daily life
D. The export of Japanese pop culture to foreign countries
E. Should schools encourage more individuality in students?

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1999 年第 2 回
午前
A. How will the decreasing number of students affect education in Japan?
B. The increasing problem of credit card debt
C. Do computer games help or hinder children's development?
D. Japan's reputation as a safe country
E. My idea of an effective leader
午後
A. Japan's changing eating habits --- good or bad?
B. Should teachers be evaluated by their students?
C. Telecommuting -- the pros and cons of working from home
D. Japan's role in UN peace-keeping activities
E. Something I hope mankind will accomplish in the next century

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1999 年第 1 回
午前
A. The effects of TV and movie violence on young viewers
B. Should organ transplants be made more available in Japan?
C. Would a five-day school week be beneficial for students?
D. The public's lack of interest in politics
E. Which modern inventions have changed our lifestyle the most?
午後
A. Should the legal drinking age be more strictly enforced?
B. The increasing amount of disruptive behavior in school classrooms.
C. Should doctors be permitted to help terminally ill patients die?
D. Would daylight saving time be beneficial for Japan?
E. The definition of "success" in life

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1998 年第 2 回
午前
A. Why nuclear weapons are not completely banned
B. Should high-school education become compulsory?
C. The roles that pets play in our lives
D. Will books eventually be replaced by electronic media?
E. Are professional athletes good role models for children?
午後
A. Media coverage of famous people's private lives
B. The growing number of children not wanting to go to school
C. Will the Internet harm interpersonal communication?
D. Young people's obsession with dieting
E. Can Japan be called a democratic society?

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1998 年第 1 回
午前
A. Does the relationship between government and business need to be changed?
B. Why do so few men take time off for childcare?
C. How sports can contribute to international relations
D. When individuality can turn into selfishness
E. The value of life-long learning
午後
A. Should names or photos of juvenile criminals be made public?
B. Working mothers and their influence on the family
C. The effects of changes in the world's weather
D. Can money solve everything?
E. Why more young people prefer not to work full time

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1997 年第 2 回
午前
A. The causes of the decreasing birthrate in Japan
B. Potential dangers and benefits of genetic engineering
C. The function of zoos in modern society
D. At what age should computer education begin?
E. Should companies adopt a more casual dress code?
午後
A. Should a person be forced to retire at a certain age?
B. Should cigarette advertisements be banned?
C. The popularity of virtual (electronic) pets
D. Should exceptionally good students be allowed to skip grades?
E. Changes in women's attitudes toward their careers

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1997 年第 1 回
午前
A. How should the additional income from the new consumption tax be spent?
B. Should moral values be taught in school?
C. The recent popularity in Japan of learning Asian languages and culture
D. The changes in the traditional Japanese family
E. Coping with today's fast-paced society
午後
A. To what extent should Japan restrict food imports?
B. The differences between school education and practical life experience
C. Should English be included on university entrance exams in Japan?
D. Imaging life without TV
E. Would I be willing to donate my organs after death?

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1996 年第 2 回
(a) The most challenging thing I have ever experienced
(b) Should foreign nationals be given more employment opportunities in Japan?

(a) Why I shop [don't shop] at convenience stores
(b) The effects of tourism on the natural environment

(a) What I think is Important in choosing a marriage partner
(b) Should high school students be allowed to have part-time job?

(a) Why I prefer traveling alone [in company]
(b) Do men and women have equal rights?

(a) What I like [dislike] the most about Japanese society
(b) What will transportation look like 50 years from now?


(a) What I would want to be if I were born again
(b) The importance of welfare facilities for the aged

(a) What I like [dislike] about karate
(b) How can people help to save endangered species?

(a) My opinion of a five-day school week
(b) Should wives be allowed to keep their maiden name after marriage?

(a) How important English is for me
(b) The value of competitive sports for small children

(a) My definition of the word "freedom"
(b) Should Japanese high school be made compulsory?


(a) What I would like to change about myself
(b) Is Japan really a workaholic country?

(a) What my family means to me
(b) Should the consumption tax be raised?

(a) A business I would like to start
(b) Should English be taught in elementary school?

(a) What I would do if I had twice as much free time
(b) What makes organ transplants so controversial?

(a) The school regulations I would abolish
(b) How "wealthy" is Japan?


(a) Things I could do to save money
(b) The rights of smokers and non-smokers

(a) What I can do to create a better world
(b) The good and bad points of Japanese university

(a) Volunteer work I would like to do
(b) The rights of smokers and non-smokers

(a) The most important thing I learned as a child
(b) Is the death penalty necessary?

(a) My feelings about TV and movie violence
(b) The ideal family


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1996 年第 1 回
(a) A new skill I would like to learn
(b) The roles of men and women in the home

(a) My opinion of overseas catalogue shopping
(b) How Japan should cope with an aging society

(a) What I would do if I were granted one wish
(b) How advertising influences consumers

(a) When does a person become old?
(b) The Importance of music in people's lives

(a) A recent event that Impressed [shocked] me
(b) Will the lifetime employment system survive?


(a) Why I am [am not] proud of my country
(b) The popularity of computer games

(a) My opinion of cellular phones
(b) Why Japanese are getting married later

(a) Why I would [wouldn't] want to be a celebrity
(b) The value of health foods

(a) How I choose the clothes I wear
(b) Japanese companies moving abroad

(a) The most Important thing I learned at school
(b) Does every home need a computer?


(a) A country I would like to know more about
(b) The trend of young Japanese women wanting to work abroad

(a) What I would change if I could live my life over
(b) Are we too dependent on doctors and medicines?

(a) A generation gap I have noticed
(b) Commercialism in the Olympics

(a) My opinion of vegetarianism
(b) What makes a successful language learner

(a) What I care about the most in my life
(b) The morality of the mass media


(a) Why I like [dislike] huge discount stores
(b) How our taxes should be spent

(a) The most influential person in my life
(b) How the Internet can change people's lives

(a) One thing I cannot live without
(b) The importance of religion in people's lives

(a) How I deal with stress
(b) The borderline between luxury and necessity

(a) How I can help protect the environment
(b) Housing problems in Japan


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1995 年第 2 回
(a) Aspects of Japanese culture I find attractive
(b) Preparing for an earthquake

(a) What I think the ideal parent-child relationship is
(b) Public school education vs. private school education

(a) My expectations for the 21st century
(b) Political campaigns in Japan

(a) What volunteer work means to me
(b) Are Japanese children spoiled?

(a) Foreign-made products I want to buy
(b) The shrinking employment market in Japan


(a) What I will be doing 10 years from now
(b) The need for humor in society

(a) What I would look for in a marriage partner
(b) Should the consumption tax be raised?

(a) The part of the newspaper I read first
(b) Characteristics of a good leader

(a) My favorite type of traditional Japanese art
(b) How computers will change our lives

(a) How I would spend a hundred million yen
(b) Moving the capital away from Tokyo


(a) My advice to Japanese traveling abroad
(b) Can nuclear testing be stopped?

(a) Recent trends I dislike
(b) Animal rights

(a) My idea of success in life
(b) The problems facing senior citizens today

(a) Superstitions that interest me
(b) Should Japan adopt Daylight-Saving Time [Summer Time]?

(a) What I did [would do] with my first Salary
(b) Japan's role in fighting world hunger


(a) The kind of work I would most like to do
(b) Is Japan still a safe country?

(a) What I would buy as a souvenir from a trip abroad
(b) Can Japan overcome its current economic difficulties?

(a) My definition of "democracy"
(b) Proper etiquette on trains

(a) The best [worst] food I have ever tasted
(b) The end-of-a-century syndrome

(a) The type of politician I admire
(b) Things that are easy to recycle


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1995 年第 1 回
(a) A person I would like to interview
(b) The problems of the aging society

(a) A new national holiday I would like to create
(b) Problems facing temporary workers

(a) If I were the opposite sex
(b) How to cope with a water shortage

(a) My ideal coworker [friend]
(b) Bullying at school

(a) Important things my parent(s) taught me
(b) Which comes first, work or family?


(a) My image of an ideal life
(b) Japan's role as a member of the Asian community

(a) My opinion of new religions in Japan
(b) The invasion of privacy by the mass media

(a) An award I would like to receive
(b) The social impact of new technology

(a) What I would do if I were the mayor of my city
(b) Endangered animals

(a) What friendship means to me
(b) Should women change their family names when they marry


(a) Unique features of my school days
(b) Recycled goods

(a) A place that impresses me
(b) Eating disorders among young women

(a) How my town should be developed
(b) The increasing use of electronic pagers

(a) The worst disagreement I ever had with a friend
(b) The mineral water boom

(a) Experiences that have enhanced my self-esteem
(b) Advantages [disadvantages] of computers


(a) My view on parenting
(b) Building one's character

(a) A turning point in my life
(b) The importance of keeping abreast of world news

(a) Why I would (not) like to ride the space shuttle
(b) How to be a good shopper

(a) Why I prefer pro baseball [soccer] to pro soccer [baseball]
(b) How to avoid trouble when traveling overseas

(a) Watching sports vs. playing sports
(b) Public apathy toward politics