Subsidy for Projects to Stimulate Direct Investment in Japan

Subsidy for Projects to Stimulate Direct Investment in Japan

Funds foreign enterprises with reimbursement support for demonstration and de-risking activities that attract direct investment.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The Subsidy for Projects to Stimulate Direct Investment in Japan is a JETRO-administered grant program that reimburses foreign and foreign-affiliated companies for the costs of demonstration projects that introduce or develop innovative technologies and business models in Japan through collaboration with Japanese partners. The program is designed to attract inward foreign direct investment by lowering the cost and risk of initial demonstration activities. Eligible sectors have included manufacturing, healthcare, green and digital areas such as mobility, fintech, and wholesale and retail. The collaboration requirement — pairing the foreign applicant with a Japanese company or research institution — is a hard eligibility condition.

Subsidy rates vary by company size. Small and medium-sized enterprises receive up to 50% of eligible expenses reimbursed, with a maximum of 20 million yen per project. Large enterprises receive up to 33% of eligible expenses, also capped at 20 million yen. Payment is made in arrears following project completion and final inspection; there are no upfront tranches. To qualify, an applicant must maintain a legal entity and operational office in Japan with actual business presence, and foreign investors must collectively hold more than one-third of the company's shares, with the single largest foreign investor holding at least 10%. Approximately 17 projects were funded in the FY2024 cycle; 15 were selected in the FY2025 cycle.

The FY2024 application window ran from March 29 to May 9, 2024, with a noon JST deadline, and projects were required to be completed by January 31, 2025. The FY2025 cycle followed a similar spring calendar. As of May 2026, no FY2026 cycle dates have been posted and the program page shows applications closed. Based on the FY2024-to-FY2025 historical pattern of a late-March opening and early-May deadline, interested applicants should monitor the JETRO investment support pages from March onward for announcement of a potential FY2026 cycle.