Kitakyushu City Productivity Improvement & Wage Increase Support Subsidy (FY R8, Extended)

(1) Overview: The Kitakyushu City Productivity Improvement & Wage Increase Support Subsidy is a top-up grant the city pays to local SMEs that have already received MHLW's Business Improvement Subsidy (gyomu kaizen joseikin), which finances productivity investment tied to raising the minimum in-workplace hourly wage. A separate Kitakyushu City Wage Increase Incentive (10,000 JPY x number of workers, capped at 5 workers = 500,000 JPY) is paid to firms that raise the in-workplace minimum wage by 70 yen or more. (2) Eligible applicants: SMEs with a business establishment inside Kitakyushu City that received the Fukuoka Labour Bureau's grant-decision notice for the Business Improvement Subsidy on or after 1 April 2025 (R7) and obtained the final amount confirmation by 28 February 2027 (R9). Applicants must comply with labour laws, must not have committed fraud against public grants in the past three years, must not be in adult-entertainment or organised-crime business, and must have no overdue municipal taxes. (3) Eligible expenses & content: The eligible cost basis equals the amount already disbursed under the national Business Improvement Subsidy (e.g. equipment, consulting). The subsidy rate is 2/10 (20%); if the combined national + city subsidies would exceed 95% of the eligible disbursed cost, the rate is reduced to 1.5/10. Amounts under 1,000 JPY are rounded down. The incentive scheme adds 100,000 JPY per wage-raised worker, up to 5. (4) Rate / cap / schedule / application points: The cap equals 2/10 of the national Business Improvement Subsidy's upper limit (see the official Cap Quick-Reference Table). The application deadline is 5 March 2027 (R9). Submit Application Form (Form 1) plus the Summary Sheet (Form 2), Inquiry/Reply Consent Forms (Forms 6 & 7), copies of the national grant-decision and disbursement notices, the project report set, evidence of the wage hike (wage ledger), and proof of installed equipment. Electronic filing is allowed; books must be kept for five years.