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Using Japanese government subsidies for software and DX: a buyer’s guide
With subsidies, the decisions that matter are not “can we get one” but “what can it be spent on, when does the money actually arrive, and who should we hire.” This cluster covers Japan’s main programmes for small businesses, what each will and will not fund, the ban on starting work before the grant decision, and the cash-flow reality of reimbursement. The author is not a registered support provider and does not file applications — the aim is to help you decide, not to sell you a filing service.
7 articles in total
Foundational guide
Foundational guide (start here)
How to outsource system development using subsidies: the complete guide for buyers
A complete guide for owners and IT managers who want to outsource system development using subsidies. Covering how to choose among Japan's four major schemes — Digitalization & AI Adoption (formerly IT Introduction), Sustainability, Monozukuri, and Labor-Saving Investment — plus eligible expenses, the ban on starting work before the grant decision, scheduling by back-calculation, and the trap of 'subsidy-first' investment. A neutral guide focused on the buyer's decision-making.
Related practical articles
- 補助金DX中小企業システム開発IT導入補助金
The IT Introduction Subsidy 2026, explained for buyers — categories, subsidy rates, eligibility, and the 'not eligible' cases
A buyer's-eye explanation of the IT Introduction Subsidy 2026 (the Digitalization & AI Introduction Subsidy). A neutral walkthrough of the standard category's subsidy rate and caps, the five application categories, the program structure that runs through a registered IT introduction support vendor, and why full-scratch development outside the registered-tool list is in principle not eligible — plus the alternative routes.
12 min read - 補助金小規模事業者持続化補助金DX中小企業システム開発
Can You Build a Website or Online Store with Japan's Small Business Sustainability Subsidy? [A Buyer's Guide]
Can you build a website, online store, or booking system with the Small Business Sustainability Subsidy? A buyer's-eye guide to how 'website-related costs' fit in, the ceiling rules, the fact that market development is the primary purpose, and how to design the project for a solo company owner.
12 min read - 補助金DX中小企業システム開発ものづくり補助金
Can you invest in systems and software with the Monozukuri subsidy? — getting DX through a capital-investment-type program
The Monozukuri subsidy is a capital-investment-type program, but purchasing and building dedicated software and information systems is eligible as 'machinery, equipment, and system-construction costs.' A mere system rollout, however, is a no-go: it demands new-product/new-service development and average annual growth in value-added. Based on the 23rd call, this article explains the eligible scope, the business plan, and the wage-increase requirement from the buyer's perspective.
13 min read - 補助金DX中小企業システム開発省力化投資補助金
The SME Labor-Saving Investment Subsidy and cutting headcount with AI and systems: A Buyer's Guide
A buyer's-side explanation of the SME Labor-Saving Investment Subsidy, which addresses the labor shortage. Covers when to choose the catalog-order type vs. the general type, which expense category AI and system development ride on, and how to measure the effect of labor-saving using labor productivity — all organized based on the official application guidelines.
13 min read - 補助金DX中小企業システム開発デジタル化・AI導入補助金
Subsidies are paid 'in arrears' — cash flow until payout and payment design for system development
Subsidies are, in principle, paid 'by reimbursement (in arrears).' Even once adopted, you front the vendor first, and only the subsidy-rate share comes back after the project completes. A neutral guide that designs, from the buyer's viewpoint, the cash flow until payout and the payment terms for system development — assuming provisional payment, bridge financing, and split deposits.
9 min read - 補助金DX中小企業システム開発IT導入補助金
Beware the 'you can use a subsidy' sales pitch — spotting bad-faith vendors and the fraudulent-receipt risk
System-development sales pitches that sell 'effectively free with a subsidy' or 'zero out-of-pocket' hide the fraudulent-receipt pitfalls of kickbacks, padded invoices, and rollouts with no substance. The penalties (full repayment, a 10.95%-per-year surcharge, publication of the business's name, criminal punishment) fall on the buyer themselves. From a neutral standpoint, this article explains the four types of bad-faith vendor tactics and the checkpoints for spotting them before you order.
10 min read