The National Tax Agency opened the sixth round of this fiscal year's sake-industry subsidy on Thursday 8 October. Applications close at noon on Wednesday 28 October. Projects that respond to higher sake-rice prices or to US tariffs get priority in selection, including where the hit is expected rather than already felt, provided the plan is judged a relevant response to that impact. The rice-price priority applies only where the applicant or a participating business holds a sake-manufacturing licence.
Two lanes, two ceilings
The programme backs licensed sake makers and sellers, or groups that include at least one, in either overseas expansion or new domestic and overseas markets. The stated aim is higher exports of Japanese sake and a restructuring of the industry.
| Feature | Overseas expansion | New market development |
|---|---|---|
| Subsidy rate | One-half of eligible costs | One-half, or two-thirds for small operators |
| Ceiling per project | ¥10mn | ¥5mn |
| Floor per project | ¥500,000 | ¥500,000 |
| Plan condition | None stated | Payroll up 1.5% a year and sales or value added up 3% a year, on average |
| Project period | Grant decision to 28 February 2027 | Grant decision to 28 February 2027 |
The overseas lane covers brand-building abroad, sake-brewery tourism for inbound visitors, and tie-ups with sake-rice growing areas. The new-market lane covers product differentiation, new sales methods, ICT in production and distribution, and sake-rice partnerships. A group application that includes three sake businesses can claim up to ¥12mn in the overseas lane, and the ceiling rises with each additional operator to a maximum of ¥15mn.
The strings on the new-market lane
New-market applicants must submit a three-to-five-year plan that raises total payroll by an average of at least 1.5% a year and lifts sales or value added by an average of at least 3% a year. If payroll growth falls short, the agency can demand back the part of the equipment's book or market value, whichever is lower, that corresponds to the subsidy. That demand is waived if payroll growth exceeds half of the sales or value-added growth rate, or if a disaster or other cause outside the firm's control intervenes.
The small-business rate of two-thirds applies to firms with 20 or fewer full-time employees, or five or fewer in wholesale and retail. A firm that outgrows that definition before the project ends drops to one-half.
What scores badly
Projects whose costs are all equipment, and which end with installing it, are marked down in review, as are projects that sell products or run sales activity during the subsidy period, apart from defined test sales. Reviewers score out of 100 with input from up to six outside experts. Bonus points for a rice-price or US-tariff impact require a confirmation form with supporting documents showing the impact, and the current year's planned measures must be judged a relevant response to it. The rice-price bonus applies only where the applicant or a participant is a licensed maker. Other bonus points go to firms holding certain government business plans or a partnership-building declaration, up to two bonus items in all.
Deadlines and cash
Applications go through the jGrants portal only, and need a GBizID Prime account. Postal registration of that account takes one to two weeks, and the guidelines say a late ID earns no extension. Only costs ordered after the grant decision and paid by 28 February 2027 qualify. Even approved applicants can be paid less than they requested because of budget limits. The guidelines do not state a total budget for this round.