THE Attack Dem group from Japan won the World Reggae Dance Competition held at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre in Kingston on August 5.

It is the second straight year a Japanese group won the competition which is organised by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission.

Attack Dem, from the city of Osaka, got the better of compatriots Yallow Yellow, who are from Tokyo.

Jamaican entrants Endevarous Dancers placed third in the 14-team final.

Orville Hall of the Dance XPressions group was one of the competition’s judges. He is not surprised the Japanese dominated once again.

“Our dancers in the street are not paying enough attention to the theme and what is required,” Hall told Splash.

He observed that the Japanese expressed themselves through jamaican dance moves. On the other hand, the Jamaicans were into hip-hop mixes and gimmickry.

“Even if they had gimmicks they should have stuck to a particular concept and brought the element of surprise to the competition,” said Hall.

“The Japanese did that, they have been studying.”

Dancehall culture has been huge in Japan since the 1980s when artistes like Sugar Minott launched the first sound system clashes there.

One of the biggest sound systems in the world, Mighty Crown, is from Japan.

The top names in contemporary dancehall perform in Japan regularly. Many Japanese with music industry ties (including dancers) live in Jamaica.