Akindo Sushiro Receives Letter of Appreciation from Asahi Town, Toyama Prefecture for Corporate Version of Furusato Nozei (Hometown Tax Donation Program)

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Akindo Sushiro Co., Ltd. (Head office: Suita City, Osaka Prefecture; President and CEO: Nii Kohei; hereinafter referred to as “Sushiro”), a subsidiary of FOOD & LIFE COMPANIES Co., Ltd. (Head office: Suita City, Osaka Prefecture; President and CEO: Masahiro Yamamoto; hereinafter referred to as “F&LC”), made a donation to Asahi Town, Toyama Prefecture through the corporate hometown tax system in September 2024, and is pleased to announce that it received a letter of appreciation from the town on April 4, 2025. Through this donation, F&LC will contribute to the development of the fishing industry by revitalizing Asahi Town, Toyama Prefecture.

Background of the donation
F&LC’s vision is “Discovering new tastiness, Sharing moments of joy.” In order to continue delivering safe and delicious food to our customers, we believe that sustainable efforts with an eye to the future are essential in our business activities.
In recent years, marine fishery resources have been declining, and therefore “sustainable procurement of seafood” is important in promoting sustainability management. We are strengthening our collaboration with aquaculture operators that enable planned procurement while also using appropriate wild fish.
As part of this, in July 2024, we entered into a capital and business alliance with Uninomics, a company that has its own unique sea urchin farming technology, and through this relationship, we made a donation through a corporate version of hometown tax to Asahi Town, Toyama Prefecture, where Uninomics plans to build a new sea urchin farm.
In addition, our hometown tax donations in 2024 were made in September in three locations: Asahi Town, Toyama Prefecture, Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture, and Owase City, Mie Prefecture.

Capital and business alliance with Uninomics
In July 2024, F&LC entered into a capital and business alliance with Uninomics with the aim of stable procurement of domestically farmed sea urchins and preserving marine resources. In December 2024, the company announced plans to build a sea urchin farm in Asahi Town, Toyama Prefecture, with the aim of supplying to F&LC. The farm is scheduled to start operation in 2026, and much of the sea urchin produced is expected to be shipped to F&LC’s various brands, including Sushiro.

Uninomics’ sea urchins on sale for the first time at the Osaka Kansai Expo
It will be sold to customers for the first time as a product at the SUSHIRO To The Future: Expo Edition at the Osaka Kansai Expo, which opens in April 2025. The sea urchins on offer this time will be delivered from an existing facility operated by Uninomics in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

About Uninomics
The Uninomics Group purchases thin, meatless sea urchins that live in coastal denuded areas at bases around the world, and uses its unique land-based sea urchin farming technology and specialized feed to farm and ship them as products in about two months. By farming and selling sea urchins collected from coastal denuded seas together with local companies, the group aims to contribute to society in many ways, including restoring the marine ecosystem by restoring seaweed beds, combating global warming by increasing CO2 absorption, revitalizing the local economy, and improving the domestic self-sufficiency rate of sea urchins. Domestically, commercial production is carried out in Kunisaki City, Oita Prefecture, and Nagato City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and construction is scheduled to begin on second bases in Toyama Prefecture and Oita this year. Small-scale tests are also being completed in Canada, the United States, Oceania, and Norway, and commercialization is planned.
The Uninomics Group’s circular business model has attracted global attention, including being awarded an official recommendation by UNESCO for the United Nations Decade of Marine Science for Sustainable Development.

Uninomics Company Page: https://www.uninomics.co.jp/

Reference page
https://food-and-life.co.jp/sustainability

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