Japan has opened applications for a large subsidy aimed at demonstration projects in Global South countries outside ASEAN. The program, part of the supplementary Global South Future-Oriented Co-creation Projects grant, runs from June 1 to June 30 and lists a maximum subsidy of ¥4 billion. The portal says support can cover up to one-half of project costs, or up to two-thirds for small and medium-sized enterprises, with no employee-count cap and multiple applications allowed.
The geography is broad, but not unlimited. ASEAN members are excluded, while the published scope names Southwest Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Pacific island countries. The source also says applicants unsure whether a target country qualifies should check with the subsidy secretariat. The policy framing is not abstract development language either: the stated problem set includes industrial vulnerability, health, disaster prevention and food security, including projects in digital and green transformation fields.
Why this matters for business readers is the rationale Tokyo chose to spell out. METI says the scheme is meant to help revive domestic industry, open new markets for Japanese companies affected by US tariffs, and strengthen economic security by reducing dependence on specific countries, including through tougher supply chains. In other words, this is overseas project support with a very domestic industrial-policy accent.
The portal also tags sectors ranging from construction and manufacturing to utilities, information and communications, finance, professional services and healthcare, and lists a project end deadline of Feb. 28, 2030. What the published extract does not fully spell out is the detailed country treatment or the full eligibility conditions, so applicants should treat this as an open call, not an award notice, and verify the underlying program page before assuming a fit.