Niigata City Labor-Saving and Energy-Saving Subsidy

Overview: The Niigata City Labor-Saving and Energy-Saving Subsidy supports SMEs operating factories or logistics facilities within Niigata City when acquiring new equipment that reduces production costs, eases labor shortages, and lowers environmental load. It is governed by the city's subsidy rules and dedicated guideline. Eligible applicants: SMEs as defined by the SME Basic Act (and incorporated associations of such SMEs) that own a factory (manufacturing, newspaper, publishing industries) or a logistics facility (road freight, warehousing, packing, port transport) within Niigata City. Applicants must not be in arrears with municipal taxes, must not be national/local-government entities or government-funded corporations, and must comply with all relevant laws. Only one application per fiscal year is allowed (multiple plants within the city may apply separately). Eligible expenses and content: Cost of newly acquiring machinery, equipment, software, and hardware necessary to operate the software, installed at a factory or logistics facility in the city and used directly for the business. Lease of machinery is excluded; software usage fees are included; consumption tax is excluded. For tiers B and C, acquisition value must be at least JPY 1.6 million per item. Duplicate subsidies from the city, other governments, or support agencies for the same equipment are not allowed. Rates, caps, schedule, and application points: Tier A (20% efficiency gain + 20% CO2 cut etc.) — 10% subsidy, max JPY 2 million. Tier B (30%+30%) — 20% subsidy, max JPY 5 million. Tier C (40%+40% + 1%/yr carbon-productivity improvement) — 30% subsidy, max JPY 10 million. Applications must be filed before business commencement; the completion report is due within 30 days of project completion or by February 28 of the following fiscal year, whichever is earlier. The application package (Form No. 1) requires a business plan, equipment specs and price evidence, corporate registry or residence certificate, latest financial statement or tax return, evidence of efficiency and decarbonization figures, installation-site photos, an anti-organized-crime pledge, and a municipal-tax certificate.