Onigiri Action Welcomes Seiryo Junior and Senior High School as First-Ever School Partner – 12th Year of the Campaign

TABLE FOR TWO International (TFT), a specified non-profit organization based in Japan dedicated to solving global food problems, will hold the 'Onigiri Action' campaign this year from Thursday, October 8 to Tuesday, November 17, in commemoration of United Nations World Food Day (October 16), a day for people around the world to think about food and food-related issues.

Against the backdrop of climate change, ongoing conflicts in various regions, and global inflation, the world's food challenges are becoming increasingly complex and severe.

Amidst this, the Onigiri Action campaign has garnered widespread empathy as an initiative that transforms the desire to 'do something for someone' into an easy action within the realm of daily life.

This year, more than 20 companies and organizations, including Nissan Serena, Oisix ra daichi, and Nissui, have already announced their participation. Furthermore, as a new initiative, Seiryo Junior and Senior High School will join as the first-ever School Partner. Starting from schools, a new form of the Onigiri Action campaign will begin, where the younger generation will perceive social issues as their own and disseminate their thoughts to their families, communities, and society. (URL https://onigiri-action.com/)

◆ The Birth of the First School Partner – From 'Participating' to 'Planning and Disseminating'

This year's Onigiri Action introduces a new 'School Partner' system, with Seiryo Junior and Senior High School as its inaugural member.

In recent years, participation by schools has been expanding nationwide, taking various forms such as involvement in classes and extracurricular activities, initiatives starting from teachers' ideas, and participation realized through the voices of the students themselves.

Until now, schools have supported the Onigiri Action circle as participants. However, the School Partner system aims to go beyond mere participation, co-creating the Onigiri Action itself by planning and disseminating information together with the schools.

Through the School Partner system, TFT will deepen collaboration with schools, connect students' communication skills and initiative to society, and promote social participation for the next generation.

◆ #OnigiriAction Spreads from Participant to Participant, Surpassing 1 Million Posts on Instagram

The Onigiri Action uses 'onigiri' (rice balls), a representative Japanese food, as its symbol. When a photo of an onigiri is posted on social media (Instagram, X) or the dedicated website, sponsoring companies and organizations donate an amount equivalent to five school meals (100 yen) per photo, providing school meals to children in Africa and Asia.

This mechanism, which allows participation in food support for children around the world through the familiar 'onigiri', has garnered widespread sympathy, and '#OnigiriAction' trends on X every year. Furthermore, the cumulative number of posts with the '#OnigiriAction' hashtag on Instagram surpassed 1 million last year since its launch in 2015. A characteristic of the campaign is that posts spread through connections among various participants, such as cooking communities, parents raising children, and sports fans, naturally expanding the circle of 'fun social contribution' from participant to participant.

Through this expansion, the Onigiri Action has led to a cumulative total of approximately 2.43 million photo posts and supported over 12.8 million school meals over 11 years.

◆ First Batch of Sponsoring Companies and Organizations Announced

The first batch of sponsoring companies and organizations that will jointly promote this year's Onigiri Action has been announced.

Official Partners: Nissan Serena, Oisix ra daichi

Corporate Partner: Nissui

School Partner: Seiryo Junior and Senior High School

Supporting Partners: Zojirushi Mahobin, Sangetsu, Nikko Trust, Toyota Tsusho, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Sojitz, GMO Internet Group, Maruto, LEOC, Sumitomo Electric Industries, RKKCS, Amano, Sumitomo Riko, Kitchen de Kyushoku, Jones Lang LaSalle, Foodist Note, Delish Kitchen, YONDE, Gekkan Sōmu

The second announcement is scheduled for early July.

TFT is also currently recruiting sponsoring companies, local governments, and school partners to participate in the Onigiri Action.

https://jp.tablefor2.org/contact/business/

◆ Towards a 'Co-creative Social Action' by NPOs, Companies, Schools, and Participants

The Onigiri Action is a social action where NPOs, companies, schools, and participants co-create beyond their respective positions. In addition to providing donations based on photo posts, sponsoring companies and organizations co-create the project by leveraging their respective strengths, such as product-related measures, social media dissemination, and internal and external communication. This year, with the addition of collaboration with schools, the aim is for companies, educational institutions, and participants to unite and spread 'food actions' to the next generation.

Comment from Yasuhiro Aota, Principal of Seiryo Junior and Senior High School:

"We are deeply honored to participate as the first 'School Partner' for the Onigiri Action. Our school upholds CHANGE, CHALLENGE, and CONTRIBUTION as our core values, and we value learning that encourages students to face real-world issues and take action. We will connect this co-creation, where students perceive global food issues as their own and proactively engage in planning and dissemination, into a concrete action that supports the future and smiles of children around the world."

Onigiri Action Overview

Campaign Period: October 8, 2026 – November 17, 2026

How to Participate: Post a photo of an onigiri (rice ball) on social media or the dedicated website (*)

Donation Details: Sponsoring companies and organizations donate five school meals for each post.

Dedicated Website: Onigiri Action Official Website

*Due to changes in social media usage trends, posts on Facebook will no longer be counted for donations starting in 2026.

When you post a photo of an 'onigiri' on social media (Instagram, X) or the Onigiri Action dedicated website, donations from sponsoring companies and organizations will provide five school meals to children in Africa and Asia for each photo.

TFT will disseminate information related to this action on its various official social media channels to boost the campaign.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tablefor2_official

X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/TFTjp

Media Inquiries Welcome

・Interviews with TFT Executive Director Akiko Doi and Onigiri Action staff
・Interviews with representatives of sponsoring companies
・Interviews with Yasuhiro Aota, Principal of Seiryo Junior and Senior High School

About TABLE FOR TWO International

Established in October 2007. A certified NPO. 'TABLE FOR TWO' literally means 'a dining table for two.' Based on the concept of people in developed countries sharing meals with children in developing countries, purchasing a TFT healthy menu at a company cafeteria or store results in a 20 yen donation, which provides one school meal for a child suffering from hunger. Approximately 700 organizations, including companies, government offices, universities, and hospitals, participate in this initiative in East Africa and Southeast Asia.