FY2026 Akita Prefecture Manufacturing Management Strategy Enhancement Support Program

This FY2026 Akita Prefecture 'Manufacturing Management Strategy Enhancement Support Program', operated by Akita Prefecture Department of Industry and Labor, Commerce and Industry Promotion Division, supports ambitious manufacturers pursuing innovative initiatives, productivity improvements, or new-business expansion to strengthen competitiveness, with the aim of generating added value and raising wage levels. Three eligible activity types: (1) new product development/production with new equipment introduction AND associated market development; (2) new order acquisition or production efficiency improvement via equipment introduction; (3) production process improvement under external expert guidance. Eligible applicants must satisfy ALL of: (1) primary business base in Akita Prefecture; (2) 1+ years business track record in Akita; (3) SME under Small and Medium Enterprise Management Enhancement Act Article 2-1 (manufacturing/construction/transport/travel: ≤300M yen capital OR ≤300 employees, with industry-specific variations); (4) NOT a 'deemed large company' (one large company owning 1/2+ shares; multiple large companies owning 2/3+; large-company officers/employees occupying 1/2+ of board). Primarily for manufacturing; agriculture/forestry/fishery, finance/insurance, medical (hospitals/clinics), social welfare, adult entertainment, gambling, religion, political/economic/cultural organizations are excluded. Also excluded: tax delinquents, those defaulting on Akita/public-finance loans, anti-social forces, those with risk of unfair/unfaithful conduct, those already selected by national/prefectural programs with the same business plan. Applicants must formulate a 3-5 year business plan satisfying: (1) annual avg 3%+ increase in added value (operating profit + personnel cost + depreciation); (2) annual avg 2%+ increase in total wage payments or per-capita wage payments; (3) self-conducted manufacturing activities; (4) cooperation from a support organization (chambers of commerce, financial institutions, tax/finance/corporate-finance experts); (5) activities at Akita-based business location. Eligible expenses: machinery & system construction (mandatory inclusion), expert fees, raw materials (capped at 1/2 of eligible costs), outsourcing (1/2 cap), IP-related costs, sales promotion, training/qualification acquisition, travel, small-scale renovation (1/2 cap, max 1M yen subsidy). Land/buildings, gift certificates, office supplies, food/entertainment, tax-accountant fees, revenue stamps, public charges, insurance, loan interest, general-purpose PCs, personnel costs are excluded. Subsidy amounts: Small-scale investment type (rate 2/3, 200K-2M yen) or High-amount investment type (rate 1/3, 300K-3M yen) — choose one (no post-application change). Management Innovation Plan certification bonus: small-scale +3M (max 5M); high-amount +5M (max 8M). Subsidy period: 12 months from grant-decision date. Application period: May 26 – July 16, 2026 (mandatory pre-consultation sheet by July 9). Method: Akita Prefecture's electronic application service. Evaluation Committee around August 2026 with presentation screening at Akita Prefectural Office. Bonus points (up to 5): Women's Activity Promotion Act (action plan 1pt / Eruboshi-challenge 1pt / Eruboshi-certified 2pt), Next-Gen Care (action plan 1pt / Kurumin 2pt), Youth-Yell certification (2pt), new-grad starting-salary increase (1pt), Akita SDGs Partner (1pt), Partnership Building Declaration (1pt), national/prefectural R&D outcome deployment (2pt), Management Innovation Plan (1pt), sales-promotion expense inclusion (1pt).