Used School Backpacks Ready to Be Shipped to Afghanistan

The Yomiuri Shimbun

6:00 JST, April 6, 2026

YOKOHAMA — Employees of Kuraray Co. and others packed used school backpacks to be sent to children in Afghanistan at a warehouse in Naka Ward, Yokohama, on Saturday.

The initiative was launched in 2004 by Kuraray, a chemical manufacturer that produces and sells synthetic leather for backpacks. Since then, the project has delivered about 170,000 backpacks, along with pencils and notebooks, to the country.

On Saturday, Kuraray employees and others inspected and boxed about 8,000 backpacks donated from across Japan. Among those helping was Sara Takanashi, a Kuraray employee and a bronze medalist in the mixed team ski jumping event at the Milano Cortina Olympics.

“I hope these cross the sea and are cherished by the children there,” Takanashi said.

The backpacks typically arrive in Afghanistan around autumn, after first arriving in Pakistan by sea. However, the company said that shipments could be delayed this year due to heightened tensions in the Middle East.