I know technique is required 100% of the time, but does aggression help during competitions? Being the one to push forward and to strike first? (Not literally, and I don't mean having an attitude, ego, or anything like that.) 
No one?!
If it goes to a judgement, then yes "controlling the match" is a factor for consideration. This does not necessarily mean pushing forward, but agression is usually rewarded. In addition, there are penalties for excessive passivity.
I call it controlled agression. Passivity will get you know where in judo. But you need to know how to defend also. Your attacks can wear your opponent down. Your attacks can put him/her on the defensive to incur a penalty. I think pure agression in the beginning ranks will give you an edge overall. But at the elite level you need the total package(technique,timing,...,"A" level competition.
Thank you both for the responses! VU!
your welcom, one common thing you will hear from coaches is they tell their student to attack, attack,attack. But the student is prepared to do this in practice. Now lets see if this translates into wins at the competition level.
I had one coach who advised that I go out like a buzz saw right from the start. Interestingly, I am somewhat of a natural slow starter.
For what it's worth, I'd say it's better to come out aggressively than to be a counter fighter.
Some gold metal finals at the world class level are being won with no throwing scores and less shito's than your opponent. It seems this has replaced the "golden" score" win. Not better or worse but a fact after going thru the sometimes "brutal" elimination rounds. So being agressive is rewarded.
Being the early aggressor is essential in elite judo if you consider the penalty system and the IJF directive to have less golden scores.
Judo is actually a hyper aggressive sport. It is not at all a passive sport, and it is becoming even more aggressive than ever before. The penalty system is so severe that within 90 seconds a player can be penalized FOUR times for non-combativity and be DQ'd from a match.
Unlike any other combative sport, Judo's rule system absolutely forces the action and the pace to be pushed to the limits of the human capacity.
I have wrestled most of my life along with Judo, having only stopped wrestling during my twenties when Judo was my focus, and now having returned as a coach... Never in my life have I seen a Judo match as a major event where a player can simply lay and pray for the bad attacks to happen like what happens even in Collegiate and International Wrestling.
JoshuaResnick - Judo is actually a hyper aggressive sport. It is not at all a passive sport, and it is becoming even more aggressive than ever before. The penalty system is so severe that within 90 seconds a player can be penalized FOUR times for non-combativity and be DQ'd from a match.
Unlike any other combative sport, Judo's rule system absolutely forces the action and the pace to be pushed to the limits of the human capacity.
I have wrestled most of my life along with Judo, having only stopped wrestling during my twenties when Judo was my focus, and now having returned as a coach... Never in my life have I seen a Judo match as a major event where a player can simply lay and pray for the bad attacks to happen like what happens even in Collegiate and International Wrestling.
Vu, thank you for the info.