The Nara Prefecture SME Wage-Increase Environment Improvement Support Subsidy is operated by the Nara Prefecture Federation of Societies of Commerce and Industry, funded via the national "Price-Hike Response Priority Support Regional Revitalization Temporary Grant." It supports SMEs suffering from labor shortages and inflation to invest in labor-saving and revenue-enhancing equipment so they can sustainably raise wages. Plans must be prepared with hands-on (banso) support from a Chamber of Commerce or Society of Commerce and Industry. Eligible applicants are entities registered in Japan with a business site (factory, store, office) inside Nara Prefecture and at least one regular employee as of March 2026. Categories A–E cover SMEs, small-scale operators, certain mid-sized "specified businesses," qualifying NPOs that conduct profit-making activities and hold a Management Enhancement Plan certification, and qualifying social welfare corporations. Deemed-large-enterprises, applicants whose taxable income averaged over 1.5 billion JPY in the past 3 years, organized-crime affiliates and prefectural tax delinquents are excluded. Eligible expenses span 12 categories: ① machinery/equipment, ② system construction, ③ cloud usage, ④ PR, ⑤ exhibition participation, ⑥ travel, ⑦ R&D/prototyping, ⑧ rental, ⑨ expert honoraria (cap = 1/2 of total eligible), ⑩ expert travel, ⑪ market research (cap = 1/3), ⑫ outsourcing/contracting. Only expenses contracted, delivered and paid after the grant decision date and on or before 25 Dec 2026 qualify; bank transfer is required. The subsidy rate is up to 1/2 for ordinary SMEs and up to 2/3 for small-scale operators, with a maximum of 5,000,000 JPY and a floor of 500,000 JPY. A binding outcome requirement is that the most recent month's total payroll at completion reporting must exceed March 2026 payroll by at least 2.9%. Applications run from 26 May 2026 (Tue) to 31 Jul 2026 (Fri) — primarily via the electronic system; selection and grant decisions are scheduled for end of August. The deadline to first consult a Chamber/Society of Commerce is 24 Jul 2026 (Fri).