Kobe City — Subsidy for Opening Shops in Residential Newtown Areas (FY2026)

1) Overview: Kobe City's 'Subsidy for Shop/Facility Location in Residential Areas' helps revitalize suburban newtown residential districts by subsidizing the construction or renovation costs of new shops opened in residential zones. FY2026 applications open from 1 April 2026 on a first-come basis until the budget is exhausted. 2) Eligible applicants: Individuals or businesses that newly construct or renovate a shop/facility (cafe, bakery/confectionery, daily-goods retail, beauty salon, lessons studio, etc.) within designated planned-development residential districts of Kobe City. Use of part of one's dwelling as a shop (combined-use house) is included. Applicants in arrears on municipal tax or covered by Kobe's anti-organized-crime exclusion ordinance are excluded. 3) Eligible expenses: (1) new-construction or renovation works (design + construction; furniture/appliances/movable goods are excluded), (2) construction-supervision costs, (3) other expenses the Mayor deems necessary. Consumption tax is excluded for taxable corporations. 4) Rate/cap/schedule/key points: Subsidy rate is 1/2 of eligible expenses, capped at JPY 1,000,000 per case (truncated to the nearest thousand yen). Target zones are Class 1/2 Low- and Mid-/High-rise Exclusive Residential Districts within planned development sites in 6 wards (Higashinada, Nada, Suma, Tarumi, Nishi, Kita). The applicant must operate the business — including a 'social-contribution activity' (17 categories: welfare, town-making, tourism promotion, culture/sports, environment, etc.) — at the shop for at least 2 years; work must start only after the grant decision; the same property must not have received this subsidy within 5 years. Mandatory pre-application consultation with the Urban Planning Division (TEL 078-595-6615) and review-committee screening.