The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has terminated its ‘JICA Africa Hometown’ initiative due to “misunderstandings and confusion” surrounding the program, as announced in a statement on its website on Thursday.
This decision follows reports claiming Japan planned to introduce a special visa category for Nigerians relocating to Kisarazu, a city designated as a “hometown” for Nigerians and other Africans under the initiative.
On August 26, Nigeria’s State House Director of Information, Abiodun Oladunjoye, stated that Japan would create a “special visa category” for highly skilled, innovative, and talented young Nigerians to live and work in Kisarazu, a claim the Japanese government later refuted.
JICA clarified that the term “hometown” and the concept of “designating” Japanese municipalities as such caused “misunderstandings and confusion within Japan, placing an excessive burden on the four municipalities.”
The agency explained, “Originally, under this initiative, it was envisioned that exchange programs would be coordinated and implemented among the Japanese local governments, relevant African countries, and JICA. The specific details were to be determined later.”
JICA further noted, “However, JICA believes that the very nature of this initiative, namely, the term ‘hometown’ and the fact that JICA would ‘designate’ Japanese local Governments as ‘hometowns’ led to misunderstandings and confusion within Japan, placing an excessive burden on the four municipalities. JICA sincerely apologizes to the municipalities involved for causing such a situation.”
The agency emphasized, “JICA takes this situation seriously. After consulting with all parties involved, JICA has decided to withdraw the ‘JICA Africa Hometown’ initiative.”
Launched in August during the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development, the initiative aimed to foster cultural and educational exchanges between four Japanese municipalities and four African countries.
JICA stressed that it has never promoted immigration initiatives and has “no plans to do so in the future,” while affirming its commitment to supporting other international exchange programs.
In August, confusion emerged when Nigeria’s State House claimed Kisarazu was designated as a “hometown” for Nigerians with a special visa category for skilled youth to live and work there.
The Japanese government promptly denied these claims.
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that the JICA Africa Hometown initiative focused on cultural and developmental exchanges between selected African countries and four Japanese cities, with no immigration benefits or special visas involved.
The misunderstanding intensified after Nigeria’s Chargé d’Affaires in Japan, Florence Akinyemi Adeseke, and Kisarazu Mayor Yoshikuni Watanabe publicly received a certificate designating Kisarazu as the “hometown” for Nigerians, fueling reports of migration opportunities.
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