Japan's team of pastry chefs, or patissiers, has won the Pastry World Cup, one of the most prestigious Western-style cake competitions, held in the suburbs of the French city of Lyon.

Teams from 17 countries and regions took part in this year's final of the biennial Pastry World Cup on Friday and Saturday.

They competed in making chocolate confections and sculpted candies on the theme of climate change.

Loud cheering broke out when event president Pierre Herme announced Japan as the winner, and the Japanese team members shared their joy by laughing and hugging one another.

France came in second and Italy placed third.

This is the third time Japan has won the competition, and the first in 16 years.

Japan's Suzuka Naritoshi told the AFP news agency that he is very happy, as they have been training for a long time. He said he wants to convey his gratitude to all his fellow members.