FY2026 Sapporo Food Overseas Expansion Challenge Subsidy

(1) Overview: The FY2026 Food Overseas Expansion Challenge Support Subsidy, established on Dec 16 2025 by the Sapporo Food & Tourism International Executive Committee, supports Hokkaido-based food-related businesses pursuing overseas expansion — exporting Hokkaido food products or opening restaurants abroad. Eligible activities include local market research / test marketing, creating foreign-language brochures, videos and websites, and exhibiting at trade fairs and business meetings overseas or in Japan. (2) Eligible applicants: SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprise Basic Act Art.2; sole proprietors who have already started business are included) headquartered in Hokkaido with an office in Sapporo / Otaru / Hakodate, or members of the Sapporo Chamber of Commerce or Sapporo Sangyo Association, that are working on or plan to work on Hokkaido food exports or overseas restaurant openings. "Deemed large enterprises" (≥1/2 shares held by one large enterprise, ≥2/3 by multiple large enterprises, or ≥1/2 of directors concurrently hold large-enterprise posts), companies in civil rehabilitation / corporate reorganization, those employing designated organized-crime members, duplicate applications by closely related parties, those who have already received this subsidy in the same fiscal year, and those delinquent on Sapporo / Otaru / Hakodate municipal taxes are excluded. (3) Eligible expenses: Three menus — (i) overseas market research / test marketing (restaurants only; travel, interpretation, test-marketing costs; travel alone is ineligible), (ii) creation of foreign-language documents / videos / websites (filming, editing, design, translation; outsourcing limited to companies headquartered in Hokkaido), (iii) participation in food trade fairs / exhibitions / sales events (travel, booth, exhibition fees, utilities, transport). Domestic consumption tax and Japanese-version production costs are not eligible. (4) Rate / cap / schedule / tips: Subsidy rate is 1/2 of eligible expenses (rounded down by 1,000 yen). Upper limit per menu is JPY 100k / 200k / 500k and lower limit JPY 50k / 100k / 250k depending on activity; if multiple activities are combined, the higher ceiling applies (max JPY 500,000). Project period: Feb 28 2026 to Feb 26 2027. Application deadline: Jan 29 2027 (must arrive by); accepted on a first-come basis until budget is exhausted. Submit Forms 1–3, quotation, municipal-tax non-delinquency certificate (original, obtained within the past 3 months), examples and roster of directors. Prior consultation with the secretariat is mandatory before submission.