Machinaka Existing Store Support Subsidy (Maebashi City, FY2026)

1) Program overview: Maebashi City's FY2026 'Machinaka Existing Store Support Subsidy' supports renovations and equipment purchases by businesses operating in the city center to enable business continuity, expansion, or succession, contributing to the realization of the Maebashi Urban Design plan and the creation of new attractions in the central district. 2) Eligible applicants: Businesses operating a store or office within the Maebashi Urban Design designated area for at least 1 year (5 years for the business-succession track), that did not receive this subsidy in the previous fiscal year, have no delinquent municipal taxes, will operate at least 4 days/week and 2 hours/day, are not in excluded industries (entertainment/sex industry related per the annex), are not affiliated with organized crime groups, understand the Maebashi Urban Design, and (for retail / food-service / lifestyle-service) become a member of the local electronic currency 'Mebuku Pay'. 3) Eligible expenses and contents: Renovation works on shops (interior, exterior, HVAC, electrical, plumbing) and equipment purchases with useful life of 1+ year and unit price of JPY 100,000 or more. Four tracks: Maintenance, Challenge, Succession (single-year), Succession (multi-year). Excluded: general-purpose ICT (PCs, tablets, printers etc. unless business-specific), consumption tax, projects already started, expenses also funded by other subsidies. 4) Rate, ceiling, schedule and application points: Subsidy rate is up to 1/2 of eligible expenses (rounded down to 1,000 yen). Ceilings: Maintenance JPY 200,000; Challenge JPY 350,000; Succession (single or multi-year cumulative) JPY 1,000,000. Application window: 1 Apr 2026 to 28 Feb 2027; project must complete and be reported by 31 Mar 2027. Applicants must first submit the eligibility confirmation form (Form 1), receive support from the Maebashi Chamber of Commerce and obtain a Business Support Plan (Form 5). Contractors should in principle be Maebashi-based; otherwise a written justification (Form 8) is required.