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Japan has dismissed claims that it plans to introduce a special visa category for Nigerians seeking to relocate to Kisarazu, the city it recently designated as Nigeria’s official “hometown.”
At the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama last week, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) unveiled the ‘JICA Africa Hometown’ initiative aimed at strengthening ties between African nations and Japanese local governments.
Under the scheme, four Japanese cities were paired with four African countries: Kisarazu with Nigeria, Nagai with Tanzania, Sanjo with Ghana, and Imabari with Mozambique.
The Foreign Ministry said Monday that Tokyo has “no plans to take measures to promote the acceptance of immigrants or issue special visas for residents of African countries.”
“There have been reports and statements both domestically and internationally that contain information contrary to the facts,” the ministry said in a statement, stressing that the government-linked aid agency, known as JICA, only plans to promote exchanges through various activities.
