Yamagata High School Team ONI³ Pays Courtesy Visit to Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

The team ONI³ from Yamagata Prefectural Yonezawa Kojokan High School, consisting of Kokomi Saito, Yuri Shibuya, and Yuna Kano, met with Norikazu Suzuki, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, on March 27, 2026, at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo. This visit was planned and realized by Plat Yonezawa Co., Ltd., which serves as the SSH coordinator for the team. The purpose was to directly inform the Minister about ONI³'s achievement of winning the gold prize in the East Japan block of the 8th Change Maker Awards, an English presentation contest organized by ESiBLA, and their subsequent advancement to the national competition. ONI³'s research activities, under the theme "DON'T GET BEATEN BY BREAD!! ONIGIRI COUNTERATTACK ～Onigiri saves the rice～," address the issue of declining rice consumption in Japan. Faced with a more than 50% reduction in per capita rice consumption over the past 60 years, their initiatives include focusing on onigiri, developing original recipes, conducting in-school workshops (where all participants felt the barrier to making onigiri was lowered), and engaging in food education activities at local children's cafeterias, connecting their research to practical implementation. The Minister evaluated their activities and offered words of encouragement. The activity support funds for this visit were provided by Hiroshi Minami (Representative Director of Yamagata-za Takinami / Co-representative of Okitama Gastronomy Academia) and Rintaro Otake (Owner of Babanocho Hayashi / Co-representative of Okitama Gastronomy Academia). Plat Yonezawa Co., Ltd. (Location: Machi Studio, 2-1-12 Honcho, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture; Representative: Hiroaki Miyajima; Established: April 20, 2022; Business: DMO, tourism database management) facilitated the visit.