UTAWIT (Uta and Awit) is a national singing competition for Filipinos and Japanese in Japan. It all started from a simple idea during the summer 2005 of three dynamic filipino groups: Jeepney Press, Samahang Pilipino, and Teatro Kanto. UTAWIT was formally created in cooperation of the Philppine Embassy thru the Philippine Overseas Labor Office. Now UTAWIT has become a grand event for Filipinos and Japanese. It also has become a sysmbol of unity and cooperation of between the Philippines and Japan.
 
The objectives of the UTAWIT is to recognize the promote Filipinos as mainstream performers in Japan, enrich cross-cultural appreciation among Japanese and Filipinos, and to generate finacial resources for developmental activities of the organization. 
Every year, UTAWIT has been growing and trying to fit in the flow of events in the community. In UTAWIT 2005 during its infancy, only Filipino migrants were able to participate and using only Original Pilipino Music(OPM). In UTAWIT 2006, to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of the diplomatic realations of the Philippines and Japan, Japanese songs were included in the repertoire of the contestants. In UTAWIT 2007, auditions were held outside of Kanto Area, and the scope of paticipants to include not only Filipino migrants but also Japanese with Filipino descent. UTAWIT BULILIT was also introduced for the talented kids.
 
The Executibe Committee are currently preparing for next year’s competition, which is tentatively scheduled for September 2008. This year, in addition to the aforementioned aims, UTAWIT 2008 aspires to:
(a)    Recognize and promote Filipinos as mainstream performers in Japan
(b)    Enrich cross-cultural appreciation among Japanese and Filipinos
(c)    Generate financial sources for developmental activities (CGMA and similar).
 
For interested regional parties, we encourage you to coordinate directly with the UTAWIT Executive Committee in setting up regional auditions to help promote Filipino talent in your area.