Kotoura Town SME Step-Up Support Subsidy

1) Overview: Kotoura Town (Tottori Prefecture) operates the SME Step-Up Support Subsidy under Town Ordinance No.8 of Reiwa 7, supporting in-town SMEs in three areas: development/improvement of new products and services (limited to furusato-nozei return gifts), market development/expansion, and DX/IT promotion, to foster sustainable growth of local businesses and revitalize the local economy. 2) Eligible applicants: SMEs, NPOs (qualifying under Article 2-5-4 of the SME Enhancement Act enforcement order), agricultural cooperatives, fisheries cooperatives, business cooperatives, federations, sole proprietors, etc., that maintain their head office or main business location in Kotoura Town, operate year-round, and have no delinquent town tax. Sex-related businesses, organized crime groups/members, and entities benefiting from overlapping national/local subsidies (where costs cannot be clearly separated) are excluded. 3) Eligible expenses and content: (a) New product/service development — outsourcing fees, advertising; (b) Market expansion — marketing strategy consulting, exhibition/event participation (booth, decoration, travel), CM/video production; (c) DX/IT promotion (first-time only) — website/EC site construction, software licensing/customization, cashless-payment terminal and infrastructure, digital-technology advisory/training. Travel and other necessary expenses are common to all. Consumption tax and bank transfer fees are excluded. 4) Rate / cap / schedule / key points: Subsidy rate is 1/2 of eligible expenses; maximum 200,000 JPY; minimum application 50,000 JPY (below which the subsidy is not granted). One application per applicant. Application deadline: October 30, 2026 (subject to earlier closure on budget exhaustion). Project period: from grant-decision date until February 28, 2027. Required submissions: grant application (Form 1 of the Rules), business plan (Form 1), budget statement (Form 2), commercial registry / opening notification, and quotation copies. Pre-application consultation with Kotoura Chamber of Commerce is mandatory.