Japan Expands Film Incentive Program, Introduces Multi-Year Subsidies for International Productions

Japan‘s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is extending its film and television incentive program through fiscal year 2026 with enhanced provisions designed to attract more overseas productions, the Visual Industry Promotion Organization and Japan Film Commission has revealed.

The most significant change to the scheme is the introduction of multi-year subsidies, enabling projects to receive support spanning up to two years. This marks a departure from the previous system’s rigid timeline requirements for expense reporting.

Under the earlier framework, only expenses reported by the end of January following the grant decision qualified for reimbursement. A one-year project in the current fiscal year had to run from March 27, 2025, to Jan. 31, 2026. The updated program allows expenses spanning multiple fiscal years and accommodates project timelines that cross the Japanese fiscal year boundary.

The revamped incentive scheme is scheduled to launch in late spring 2026, with application guidelines to be announced at a later date.

Since its inception in 2023, the program has supported 18 film and television projects through the end of 2025. Notable productions include “The Smashing Machine,” starring Dwayne Johnson as UFC fighter Mark Kerr, which earned director Benny Safdie the Silver Lion for best director at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year.

The U.S.-Japan co-production “Rental Family,” directed by Hikari and starring Brendan Fraser, premiered in the special presentation section at the Toronto International Film Festival and subsequently played at the London and Tokyo festivals. The film follows an American actor in Japan who joins a “rental family” agency.

The program has also backed the second season of “Drops of God,” the International Emmy Award-winning French-Japanese drama about gastronomy and fine wines. Starring Fleur Geffrier and Tomohisa Yamashita, the series is adapted from the New York Times bestselling Japanese manga.

The program is a METI initiative, with VIPO serving as operator and the Japan Film Commission coordinating.