Checked against the official page on 2026-10-20. Part of Oak’s directory of Japanese business grants.
Before you apply
- The money is not up front. You pay for the whole project yourself. The grant reimburses a share of it (often half to two-thirds) after a completion report has been checked, typically 6 to 18 months after applying.
- Do not spend before approval. Costs ordered, contracted or paid before the official grant decision (交付決定) are usually not eligible.
- Competitive and strict. Business plans are scored against other applicants and many are rejected. Eligibility rules on company size, ownership and tax compliance are applied to the letter.
- Obligations continue after payment. Reports for up to five years, inspections, and targets in your plan. Missing them can mean repaying part or all of the grant.
| Japanese name | デジタル化・AI導入補助金2026 通常枠（旧IT導入補助金） |
|---|---|
| Level | National · Nationwide |
| Administered by | METI SME Agency / SMRJ (中小機構); secretariat デジタル化・AI導入補助金事務局 |
| Type | IT / digitalisation / AI |
| Maximum amount | 1-3 processes: 50,000–<1,500,000; 4+ processes: 1,500,000–4,500,000 |
| Subsidy rate | 1/2 (2/3 for firms where >=30% of staff were paid near minimum wage for 3+ months) |
| Who can apply | SMEs and small businesses (capital/headcount limits by sector; also 医療法人, 社会福祉法人, NPO etc.) |
| Support organisation | No 認定支援機関; must apply jointly with a registered IT導入支援事業者 (vendor) who submits the tool |
| How to apply | Own e-application portal (申請マイページ) with GビズIDプライム; not jGrants |
| Rounds and deadlines | Rolling 締切回 in FY2026: 7th deadline 2026-10-30 17:00, 交付決定 2026-12-10 (official schedule). Later rounds to be added. |
| Adoption rate | 2nd deadline: 5,699 applicants / 2,936 adopted overall (~51.5%); 通常枠 1,879 / 819 (~43.6%) (secondary source) |
Can a foreign-owned company apply?
Japan-incorporated KK/GK (incl. foreign-owned) eligible if within SME capital/employee limits. Excluded as みなし大企業 if one large company owns >=1/2, large companies together own >=2/3, or large-company officers/staff hold >=1/2 of board seats; a foreign parent counts as a large company if BOTH its capital and headcount exceed SME limits. Branches of foreign companies (no Japanese HQ/本店) not eligible. Standard METI wording; confirm in this programme's 公募要領.
Points to note
Renamed from IT導入補助金 in the FY2025 supplementary budget (R7補正). 4+ processes requires a wage-raise plan (+3%/yr per-head pay, in-house min wage = regional min +30円). From the 7th round, 省力化ナビ diagnosis required. Anti-fraud page bans kickbacks/'consulting fees' from vendors, sharing GビズID, and proxy filing; vendor deregistrations published regularly. FY2027 request merges it into 省力化・デジタル化・AI投資補助金.
How Oak can help
Oak is a licensed gyoseishoshi (administrative scrivener) firm. We check eligibility before you spend time on an application, help set up the GビズID Prime account most programmes require, prepare and organise the supporting documents within the programme's rules, and handle the reporting that follows an award.