FY2026 KIP Subsidy for SMEs Hosting Highly-Skilled Foreign Talent Internships

(1) Overview: KIP (Kanagawa Industrial Promotion Center) provides this FY2026 subsidy to encourage Kanagawa-prefecture SMEs to host internships of 5 days or more at their prefecture-based offices for highly-skilled foreign talent residing overseas, prior to formal hiring, in order to promote their employment within the prefecture. (2) Eligible recipients: SMEs (per Article 2 / Annex 1 SME definition) with a head office or business location in Kanagawa, that have decided to host a 5-day-or-longer internship for highly-skilled foreign talent (holding or expecting to obtain the 'Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services' or 'Highly Skilled Professional' visa, graduating from a university or vocational school). Applicants must not appear on MHLW's labor-law-violation public list, not engage in adult-entertainment business, and have no organized-crime affiliations. (3) Eligible expenses & content: visa-acquisition expenses (certificate-of-eligibility issuance, gyoseishoshi consultation), travel (economy-class air fare, surcharges, airport fees), lodging during the internship (excl. meals), training fees, interpretation fees, and other expenses specifically approved by the KIP president. Bank fees, consumption tax, expenses borne by the foreign talent, and overseas-incurred costs are excluded. Receipts / invoices / contracts must be submitted at the achievement-report stage. (4) Subsidy rate, cap, schedule, application points: cap of JPY 200,000 per intern, max 2 interns per company per fiscal year (i.e. up to JPY 400,000 per company). Application (Form No.1) plus officer roster (Form 1-2), business plan (1-3), expense budget (1-4), prefectural-tax compliance certificate copy, and cost estimates must be submitted before the internship starts. After the internship, submit Form No.6 achievement report with business report, expense settlement, payment evidence, and bank-account proof. Records must be kept for 5 years; fraudulent receipt leads to revocation and 10.95% annual surcharge on repayment.