Kitakyushu City Event Subsidies: Up to 4/5 for Kokura's Downtown, 1/2 for Shopping StreetsThe city helps pay for events that make the town lively
Kitakyushu City offers the Downtown Area Appeal Improvement and Promotion Subsidy (rate 4/5, cap JPY 1,000,000) to attract visitors to Kokura's downtown at night, and the Shopping Street Liveliness Support Program (rate 50%, cap JPY 500,000) for events at shopping streets and markets. Applications for FY2026 have closed for both. This introduces annual programs so that you can prepare for the next round.
Key points
- Downtown Area Appeal Improvement and Promotion Subsidy: covers evening events and information campaigns in Kokura's downtown that can attract inbound visitors and young people. Corporations or groups based in the designated area carry out their planned project through to completion
- The rate is 4/5. For events it drops each year: 4/5 in year 1, 2/3 in year 2, and 1/2 in year 3. No applications after year 4. The cap is JPY 1,000,000 each year
- FY2026 application periods: Period 1, April 10 to May 1 (projects through November 1) and Period 2, September 1 to 30 (projects from November to February 14, 2027)
- Shopping Street Liveliness Support Program: covers events that liven shopping streets and markets, and the creation of shopping street maps, run by their associations. 50% of costs such as advertising, honoraria, venues, outsourcing, administration and construction, up to JPY 500,000 per project
- FY2026 application periods for the Liveliness Support Program: first round April 6 to 16 and second round September 4 to 14
What to do in practice
- Decide the timing and budget of events for next year and prepare for the spring and autumn application periods
- Because the downtown subsidy rate falls each year, make a multi-year plan
- Confirm with your advisers how the subsidy is treated for accounting and tax
Kitakyushu City has programs that help pay for events that bring young people and tourists from abroad to Kokura's downtown at night, and for events that liven shopping streets. The FY2026 applications have ended, but the programs come every year, so it helps to prepare for next time.
Points
- For events in Kokura's downtown, up to 4/5 of the cost (at most JPY 1,000,000)
- For shopping street events, up to half of the cost (at most JPY 500,000)
- Application times are split between spring and autumn
What the words mean
- Downtown
- A busy place where many shops are gathered
- Inbound
- People who come to Japan as visitors from abroad
- City of Kitakyushu: Kitakyushu City: Downtown Area Appeal Improvement and Promotion Subsidy
- City of Kitakyushu: Kitakyushu City: Shopping Street Liveliness Support Program
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