After the Drawing Lots, a press conference with the Jury was held in the next room. Except some members who would arrive in Hamamatsu later due to their schedule, the Jury comprising renowned teachers and pianists lined up in front of the press.
Yasutomo Suzuki, Mayor of Hamamatsu City, expressed his excitement about opening the Competition on the following day. “This Competition is a central project to shift the City of Hamamatsu from ‘a city of musical instruments’ to ‘a city of music’ through promotion of musical culture. I hope that, with an impartial judgment by the eminent members of the Jury, the Competition will be successfully carried out until the 23rd.”

Hiroko Nakamura, Chairperson of Jury, introduced the Jury members and said, “It is a great pleasure to watch, here in Hamamatsu, how the piano performances are being transformed in the 21st century. This Competition has no minimum age limit for entry; for example, the youngest contestant this year is 13 years old. How such untapped talents will perform on a great stage like this and how much they will mesmerize the audience -- I think this is one of the features of this Competition.”