Japan‘s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has extended its production incentive program through 2025, maintaining its eye-catching 50% cash rebate on qualifying expenditures.
The move continues the momentum of Japan being promoted heavily as a filming location, which was evident at last November’s Tokyo International Film Festival.
The Visual Industry Promotion Organization (VIPO) and Japan Film Commission confirmed on Thursday that the incentive program, which selected 10 international productions in 2024, including Apple TV+‘s “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2,” will run from March 27, 2025, to Jan. 31, 2026.
The incentive applies to half of all qualified spending on production and post-production costs incurred in Japan after a project’s official selection. The program caps rebates at JPY1 billion (approximately $6.6 million) per production.
To qualify, international projects must meet one of three financial thresholds: direct production costs in Japan exceeding JPY500 million ($3.3 million); total production budget over JPY1 billion ($6.6 million) with at least JPY200 million ($1.3 million) spent directly in Japan; or projects set for distribution in more than 10 countries with minimum direct Japan expenditures of JPY200 million.
Applications must come through Japanese production companies or consortiums, as overseas entities cannot apply directly. The program will accept submissions in four rounds throughout 2025, beginning immediately with the first application window running through April 10.
The initiative further stipulates that qualifying productions must benefit Japan’s domestic content industry through local employment and studio utilization, and that “scenes shot in Japan are absolutely guaranteed.” Projects must also allow overseas filmmakers to cooperate in promoting filming locations.
An exception clause notes that projects failing to meet financial thresholds might still qualify if they “greatly benefit the Japanese economy and domestic film industry,” with decisions made by an external examination committee.
The project completion date must be set within 90 days of work completion or Jan. 31, 2026, whichever comes first, with direct expenses related to film production in Japan eligible for funding.
Applications will be processed by VIPO with the Japan Film Commission serving as program coordinator. The program may conclude early if the allocated budget is exhausted before all four application rounds are completed.
