The Japanese government has denied reports that it intends to issue special visas for skilled Nigerians or expand immigration from Africa, following confusion over its newly launched “Africa Hometown” initiative.
The program was introduced last week during the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) in Yokohama.
As part of the initiative, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) designated four cities to strengthen cultural and technical ties with African countries: Imabari with Mozambique, Kisarazu with Nigeria, Sanjo with Ghana, and Nagai with Tanzania.
Shortly after the announcement, some Nigerian outlets and online commentators circulated claims that Kisarazu would serve as a hub for skilled migration, citing a statement issued by Abiodun Oladunjoye, Director of Information at the State House in Abuja.
The statement suggested that Japan would introduce “a special visa category for highly skilled, innovative, and talented young Nigerians who want to move to Kisarazu to live and work.”
On Monday, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the reports. In a formal statement, the ministry clarified:
“Regarding the ‘JICA Africa Hometown’ announced by the Japan International Cooperation Agency at the TICAD 9, there have been reports and statements both domestically and internationally that contain information contrary to the facts.
The facts regarding this matter are as follows: JICA announced the launch of the ‘JICA Africa Hometown’, which aims to strengthen exchanges between African countries and Japanese local governments based on previous project experiences. Under this program, four cities in Japan are designated as ‘hometowns’ for four African countries.
JICA plans to promote exchanges between the cities and the African countries through various activities, including events with JICA overseas cooperation volunteers. On the other hand, there are no plans to take measures to promote the acceptance of immigrants or issue special visas for residents of African countries, and the series of reports and announcements concerning such measures are not true.”
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa reinforced the government’s position in a press briefing on Tuesday. He said the initiative “does not involve promoting the acceptance of immigrants or issuing special visas” and explained that JICA will host interns in Japan for limited training programs before they return to their home countries.
Hayashi added that Tokyo has asked the Nigerian government to amend its official website, which had repeated the claim about a special visa category. “We will continue to provide careful explanations so that the purpose of the initiative is correctly understood,” he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stressed that it will monitor how the initiative is reported to prevent further misinformation.
