SME Sales Channel Expansion Support Program (Fukushima Pref.)

Overview: Operated by the Fukushima Prefecture Industrial Promotion Center, this subsidy covers part of the costs incurred by Fukushima-based SMEs for expanding sales channels through domestic/overseas exhibitions, trade fairs, overseas market research, and business meetings with overseas firms. The 1st application window is May 18 to June 12, 2026 (17:00 JST), and the 2nd window is July 1 to August 21, 2026. Eligible applicants: SMEs (as defined in Article 2-1 of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Basic Act), cooperatives, shopping street promotion associations, and hygiene-related associations that have a head office or business establishment within Fukushima Prefecture and that sell/provide their own products. Foundations, medical corporations, religious corporations, NPOs, school corporations, agricultural cooperatives, social welfare corporations, and voluntary associations are excluded, as are entities with unpaid Fukushima prefectural tax, organized-crime ties, or adult-entertainment businesses. Subsidized expenses: (A) Overseas market research - outsourced research/test/evaluation fees, honoraria for experts and interpreters/translators; (B) Out-of-prefecture trade fairs/exhibitions - booth fees, booth construction, advertising, printing; overseas additions: interpreter hiring, freight, travel; (C) Meetings with overseas firms - interpreter hiring, foreign-language website translation, foreign-language brochure production, travel. In-house personnel costs, rent, general-purpose PCs, and entertainment costs are excluded. Rate/cap/schedule: The rate is up to 2/3 (cap JPY 500,000) for overseas market research; up to 1/2 for the others, with caps of JPY 500,000 (domestic trade fairs / overseas meetings) and JPY 750,000 (overseas trade fairs). The combined per-applicant cap is JPY 1,000,000. The project period runs from the grant decision (early July 2026) to January 31, 2027. Submission is by email to torihiki@f-open.or.jp; review is mainly document-based, and selection is announced in early-to-mid July 2026. After completion, applicants file a results report and receive payment on a reimbursement basis.