The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has cancelled its “Africa Hometown” initiative, citing widespread misunderstandings that created confusion both in Japan and abroad.
The agency announced the withdrawal in a statement on Thursday, weeks after reports suggested Japan planned to introduce a special visa category for Nigerians to relocate to Kisarazu, one of the municipalities linked to the programme.
In August, Nigeria’s State House issued a statement claiming that Japan would launch a special visa scheme for highly skilled and innovative Nigerians to live and work in Kisarazu. The Japanese government quickly denied the claim, stressing that no such immigration benefits were part of the initiative.
JICA explained that the use of the term “hometown” and the idea of “designating” Japanese cities as such contributed to the misunderstanding. “This placed an excessive burden on the four municipalities involved,” the agency said, offering an apology to the local governments.
The initiative was originally unveiled during the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development. It aimed to promote cultural and educational exchanges between four Japanese municipalities and four African countries, with details to be worked out later.
“JICA takes this situation seriously. After consulting with all parties involved, JICA has decided to withdraw the Africa Hometown initiative,” the agency said.
It emphasized that JICA has never promoted immigration and “has no plans to do so in the future,” but would continue supporting other forms of cultural and developmental exchanges.
The controversy intensified after Nigeria’s Chargé d’Affaires in Japan, Florence Akinyemi Adeseke, and Kisarazu Mayor Yoshikuni Watanabe publicly received a certificate naming the city the “hometown” of Nigerians, fueling speculation about migration opportunities.
The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs later clarified that the programme was limited to cultural and developmental cooperation and carried no immigration benefits.
