any ceremonial duties. Examination requirements vary depending on country, age group and of course the grade being attempted. The examination itself may include competition and kata. The kyū ranks are normally awarded by local instructors (sensei), but dan ranks are usually awarded only after an exam supervised by independent judges from a national judo association. For a rank to be recognized, it must be registered with the national judo organization or the Kōdōkan. Japan In Japan, the use of belt colors is related to the age of the student. Some clubs will only have black and white, others will include a brown belt for advanced kyū grades and at the elementary school level it is common to see a green belt for intermediate levels. Europe In Europe the belt system is white, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown and black for both senior and junior practitioners. Judokas who have attained the 6th Dan may also use a red-white paneled belt, and judokas who have attained the 9th Dan may wear a solid red belt. In some countries a red belt is used between the white and yellow belts to signify full membership of the judo club or the country's judo association. More commonly, however, the red belt is reserved only for 9th and 10th Dan practitioners. In some countries junior practitioners have an extra system in place to show the progress in between two kyū grades. The sub rank is symbolized by a small piece of fabric on the end of the belt. The colour of these are yellow, orange, green, blue or, brown. The piece added to the belt can never be of a lower or the same colour as the belt worn by the judoka, so an orange belt can’t have a yellow piece, but it can have green, blue or, brown. In other countries, such as Finland, junior sub ranks below a certain age are denoted by one to three red stripes on both ends of the belt. They are also used to signify that joint locks, chokes or strangles may not be performed upon the wearer as those are not taught nor applied to juniors below the age of 15 due to safety reasons. Israel In Israel the following belt colors exist: Brazil Brazilian belt rankings are normally white, grey, blue, yellow, orange, green, purple, brown and black (6th, 7th, and 8th dan may wear alternating red