Business Support & Benefits

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Total support comes in two stages.

Before you register your company and After you’ve registered.

Here are the types of support we offer at both of those stages.
We’d be happy to meet and discuss any part in detail or to help you with the footwork.

Before you register your company
BEFORE
After you’ve registered.
AFTER

Before Corporate Registration:

Free temporary offices

Free temporary offices

  • You can use a free temporary office in Kobe for 3 months until your own office is established.
  • In addition to this office, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) will provide information on Japan’s industrial structure, market share in your area, business practices, and information on how systems work by industry. That includes advice tailored to your company.
market research

Subsidy for market research cost

  • You can receive a subsidy for costs related to market research conducted with the purpose of establishing an office in downtown Kobe.
  • Subsidy ratio is up to one half, with a maximum subsidy amount of 1 million yen ($9,000) per company.
  • This subsidy will be provided after the company has established an office downtown Kobe.
    The subsidy covers the following:
    • Outsourcing expenses for research regarding business establishment
    • Office rent for a representative office
    • Publishing cost of pamphlets
    • Interpretation and translation costs
corporate registration

Subsidy for corporate registration cost

  • You can receive a subsidy for the cost of corporate registration when the company establishes an office in downtown Kobe.
  • Subsidy ratio is up to one half, with a maximum subsidy amount of 200,000 yen ($1,800) per company.
    The subsidy covers the following:
    • Fees for administrative lawyer regarding registration of incorporation and acquisition of status of residence within six months thereafter (Not including money paid to public agencies, such as registration and license tax.)
consultations

Free consultations by experts

  • At no charge, we can provide initial consultations regarding procedures related to corporate registration, residence qualifications, social insurance, accounting and tax payment work, as well as translation and interpretation.

After you’ve registered:

Office rent subsidy

  • You can receive a subsidy for office rent in downtown Kobe for up to 3-years.
  • Subsidy ratio is up to one half, with a maximum subsidy amount of 2 million yen ($18,000) per year and 1,500 yen/ m2/month.
  • In the case of offices located outside of downtown, the maximum amount of this subsidy will be half (1 million yen ($9,000) per year and 750 yen/ m2/month.)
Office rent

Reduction of corporate enterprise tax

  • The corporate enterprise tax will be one third of the full tax for 5 years.
  • Occupied floor area is required to be 3,000m2 or more.

Employment subsidy

  • You can receive a subsidy for the personnel cost of newly employed workers for a company that has an established office in the downtown Kobe.
  • The subsidy amount is 300,000 yen per newly employed full-time worker who has a registered address within Hyogo Prefecture.
  • 11 or more full-time workers are required.
  • The maximum amount of this subsidy is 300 million yen ($2.8M.)
benefits Employment

Startup office establishment subsidies

Startups establishing a new office within Kobe City can receive the following subsidies.

Office rent:

Subsidy ratio of up to one half, with a maximum of

$ 8,100 /year
¥ 900,000 /year
  • The period of this subsidy is up to three years.

Internet connection fee:

Subsidy ratio of up to one half, with a maximum of

$ 5,400 /year
¥ 600,000 /year
  • The period of this subsidy is up to three years.

Building repair costs:

Subsidy ratio of up to one half, with a maximum of

$ 9,000
¥ 1,000,000
  • This subsidy is valid only for building renovations at the time of office establishment.

Building repair costs(in the case of recovering a vacant space):

Subsidy ratio of up to one half, with a maximum of

$ 18,000
¥ 2,000,000
  • This subsidy is valid only for building renovations at the time of office establishment.

Office equipment acquisition costs:

Subsidy ratio of up to one half, with a maximum of

$ 4,500
¥ 500,000
  • This subsidy is valid only for equipment acquired at the time of office establishment.

IT engineer labor costs:

Subsidy ratio of up to one half, with a maximum of

$ 18,000 newly hired IT engineer
¥ 2,000,000
  • This subsidy is valid only for IT engineers hired at the time of office establishment.

Co-working Office Establishment Subsidies

When establishing a new, start-up oriented co-working office within Kobe City, you can receive the following subsidies.

Building repairs:

Subsidy ratio of up to one half, with a maximum of

$ 4,500
¥ 500,000

Building repairs (in the case of recovering a vacant space):

Subsidy ratio of up to one half, with a maximum of

$ 5,400
¥ 600,000

Office equipment acquisition:

Subsidy ratio of up to one half, with a maximum of

$ 4,500
¥ 500,000

WeWork rent

WeWork rent subsidy

  • When moving into a WeWork space within Kobe City, in addition to the rent subsidies above, WeWork offers a special discount for up to three years.
  • Together, the total of this discount and any office rent subsidies may provide up to a 55% reduction of the original move-in costs.