The Japanese government has dismissed claims that it is creating a special visa category for skilled Nigerians seeking to relocate to Kisarazu, the city recently designated as Nigeria’s “hometown” under a new cultural exchange initiative.
The clarification comes after widespread reports last week, citing a statement from Nigeria’s presidency, which suggested Tokyo would introduce a visa scheme for “highly skilled, innovative, and talented young Nigerians” as well as artisans willing to upskill.
In a statement issued Monday, August 25, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said no such immigration policy exists.
“The ‘JICA Africa Hometown’ programme plans to promote exchanges between the four Japanese cities and the four African countries through various activities, including the organisation of exchange events involving 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.”
The programme was first unveiled during the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama. Led by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the “Africa Hometown” initiative aims to strengthen ties through cultural, educational, and people-to-people exchanges.
Under the scheme, Kisarazu was designated as Nigeria’s hometown; Nagai for Tanzania; Sanjo for Ghana; and Imabari for Mozambique. The focus, Japan stressed, is on exchange and cooperation — not immigration.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry added that it will “continue to issue appropriate statements on the subject” to prevent further misinformation.
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