Kosuke Kawauchi (Kousuke Kawauchi), representative of Kawauchi Forestry Co., Ltd. and an arborist based in Okayama Prefecture who handles pruning and special felling of large trees, won the national tree climbing competition "JTCC (Japan Tree Climbing Championship) 2026 Mie" (hereinafter referred to as the National Competition), held from May 29-31, 2026, in Wataraicho, Mie Prefecture. As the national champion, Kawauchi will represent Japan at the "ISA 2026 50th ITCC (International Tree Climbing Championship)" (hereinafter referred to as the World Competition), to be held from October 9, 2026, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Center: Kosuke Kawauchi holding the championship trophy. ◆ Competition Overview The finals, contested by 5 participants who advanced from the preliminaries, were held on a large Maki tree approximately 25 meters high. Competitors had 35 minutes to set their own ropes, ring 4 bells placed in different directions, and return to the ground. Tree climbing is a competition where victory is determined not only by speed but also by "technique" and "strategy (planning ability)" in setting the route and the order of ringing the bells, as well as work safety. In this competition, two participants completed the mission of "ringing all four bells and perfectly retrieving all used ropes before descending." Among them, Kosuke Kawauchi's high level of safety and efficient route planning were highly evaluated, leading to his victory. Working on the tree. ◆ About Arborists Arborists are "tree specialists" who have a thorough understanding of tree characteristics and use rope techniques to perform high-altitude maintenance and diagnosis. The success of young arborists like Kawauchi symbolizes technological innovation and increased awareness of tree protection in Japan's forestry and tree management industries. Working on the tree. ◆ Kosuke Kawauchi's Determination for the World Competition Participating in the next World Competition will be my second experience. The