The Japanese government has rejected claims suggesting the launch of a special visa category for Nigerians under its recently introduced “JICA Africa Hometown” initiative—an arrangement pairing Japanese cities with African countries to boost cultural and developmental exchanges.
The controversy began when a statement dated August 22 and signed by the Director of Information at the State House, Abiodun Oladunjoye, stated that the Japanese government would create special visas for skilled Nigerians and the development was widely reported both locally and internationally.
Part of the statement reads, “A special visa category for highly skilled, innovative, and talented young Nigerians who want to move to Kisarazu to live and work”.
“Artisans and other blue-collar workers from Nigeria who are ready to upskill will also benefit from the special dispensation visa to work in Japan.”
The statement implied that Nigeria’s “hometown” status would confer unique immigration privileges.
However, on Monday, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs firmly refuted the claim, stating that it is “contrary to the facts.”
The statement added, “There are no plans to to introduce new visa categories or issue special immigration measures for Nigerians or citizens of other African countries and the series of reports and announcements concerning such measures are not true.”
The ministry clarified that the JICA Africa Hometown programme is focused solely on promoting cultural and volunteer-driven exchanges, not facilitating immigration.
The JICA Africa Hometown project designates four Japanese cities as symbolic “hometowns” for four African nations: Kisarazu for Nigeria, Nagai for Tanzania, Sanjo for Ghana, and Imabari for Mozambique. Activities under the programme include cultural exchanges and events involving JICA overseas cooperation volunteers. There is no immigration or work permit component to the initiative.
This clarification arrives just days after the designation was announced at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), where Japan also committed $5.5 billion in new investment across Africa.