The Japanese government has dismissed claims that it plans to introduce a special visa for skilled Nigerians seeking to relocate to Kisarazu, recently designated as Nigeria’s “hometown” under a new cultural exchange initiative.
In a statement on Monday, August 25, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that the JICA Africa Hometown Programme aims to promote cultural and educational exchanges — not immigration.
“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 ministry stated.
The programme, launched during the TICAD9 Conference in Yokohama, designated four Japanese cities as “hometowns” for four African nations: Kisarazu for Nigeria, Nagai for Tanzania, Sanjo for Ghana, and Imabari for Mozambique.
Japan further promised to issue accurate statements going forward to prevent misinformation.
