Himi City Women-Empowering Office Expansion Promotion Subsidy (Office Opening & Operation)

1) Overview: This subsidy is operated by Himi City (Toyama Prefecture) under the Himi City Women-Empowering Office Expansion Promotion Subsidy Grant Guidelines (effective April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2027) to promote youth and especially women settlement and return to the city by supporting companies headquartered outside Himi to open and operate new offices within the city. 2) Eligible Applicants: Companies (per Article 2, Item 1 of the Companies Act) headquartered outside Himi without any existing office in the city. Excluded are businesses regulated under the Adult Entertainment Business Act, those against public order, and those with ties to organized crime under Himi City Ordinance No. 1 of 2012. For the Office Opening & Operation track, all five conditions must be met: (1) intent to trial business with the goal of new establishment, (2) office opened and operations continued for at least one year after subsidy application, (3) at least 5 regularly employed staff stationed at the office at opening, (4) no for-profit leasing of the office to third parties, (5) no other similar national/prefectural/municipal subsidy received for the same project. 3) Eligible Expenses & Content: Covers (a) office rental fees (monthly rent including parking, excluding deposits/key money/guarantee fees/insurance, residential-portion rent, and rent from properties owned by the applicant or relatives within 3 degrees of kinship, etc.), one month of key money, and (b) advertising/PR expenses for securing employment at the trial office. Consumption tax is excluded. Coverage runs from the month of first payment until program end, with payments for the fiscal year completed. 4) Subsidy Rate, Cap, Schedule, Application Points: Subsidy rate is 1/2 in principle, or 10/10 if 70% or more of regular employees are women. Monthly rent cap: 150,000 JPY (5-10 staff), 200,000 JPY (11-20), 300,000 JPY (21-30), 500,000 JPY (31+). Advertising: 1,000,000 JPY/year cap. Applications must be submitted before office opening using Form 1 (application), Form 2 (business plan), Form 3 (oath), location map/photos, registry extract or lease copy, articles of incorporation/registry certificate, operating permits, expense breakdown, company profile, etc. Limited to one grant per applicant (except multi-year cases). Completion reports are due within 30 days of completion or fiscal year end, whichever is earlier.