[Recruiting Partner Bookstores] 80% of visitors come via web/SNS! 'Book Santa 2026' enters its 10th year, applications open May 27!

Certified NPO Charity Santa (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Natsuki Kiyosuke) will launch 'Book Santa 2026' on September 23, 2026 (Autumnal Equinox Day), a charity project that gifts new books selected by customers at bookstores to children in difficult circumstances nationwide. Recruitment for partner bookstores to promote the project began on May 27, 2026, and will close on July 29.

Book Santa features a unique mechanism where donors can purchase new books at bookstores to donate on the spot. Last year, the project collected 122,018 books (totaling approximately 200 million yen) between September and December 2025.

As the publishing industry faces challenges, including the closure of bookstores nationwide, the project aims to create opportunities for customers to visit local bookstores, thereby supporting these cultural hubs while delivering books to children.

Book Santa is based on the concept that 'anyone can become a Santa Claus at a bookstore.' Donors visit partner stores, select books they wish to gift, and purchase them at the register to donate. The beneficiaries are children aged 0-18 facing poverty, illness, or disaster.

Benefits for participating bookstores include increased foot traffic, as 80% of donors visit specifically for the project, and additional sales, as about 30% of donors also purchase books for themselves. Any new book retailer in Japan is eligible to apply.