Japan Cancels ‘Africa Hometown’ program in the middle of a counterattack on a visa claim

Japan has officially canceled the initiative of “JICA Africa Hometown” after a widespread confusion and a public reaction to the report that the project includes a special immigration channel for Africans – especially the Nigerians – related to Japan.

The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) announced on Thursday that they stopped the program because of “misunderstandings and confusion” about their intentions and scope.

The decision emerged only a few weeks after the report appeared showing that Japan would offer a “special visa category” to the skilled young people who wanted to move to the city of Kisarazu -the location identified as a symbolic “birth city” for the Nigerians and other Africans under this initiative.

On August 26, the narrative increased when Abiodun Oladunjoye, Director of Information at the Nigerian country’s home, issued a statement that claimed that Japan had agreed to introduce the new visa category for “Nigera young people who were very skilled, innovative, and talented who wanted to move to Kisarazu to live and work.”

Japan quickly denied the existence of such an immigration plan. Clarifying its attitude, the Japanese Foreign Ministry stated that JICA’s initiative was focused on cultural exchange and development, not on visas or migration policies.

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Jica echoed this position in a detailed statement on his website, emphasizing that the idea of ​​”pointing” Japanese cities as “the city of birth” of Africa has caused unwanted confusion.

“Initially, under this initiative, it was imagined that the exchange program will be coordinated and implemented among the relevant local governments, and JICA. Specific details must be determined later,” the agency explained.

However, “The statement continued,” JICA believes that the nature of this initiative – namely, the term ‘hometown’ and the fact that JICA will ‘appoint’ the Japanese local government as ‘hometown’ – which is carried out for misunderstanding and confusion in Japan, placing excessive burdens.

This initiative was launched in August during the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), with the aim of encouraging cultural and education partnerships between four African countries and four Japanese cities, including Kisarazu.

But tension increased after Nigeria’s Chargé d’Affires in Japan, Florence Akinyemi Adeseke, and Mayor of Kisarazu Yoshikuni Watanabe openly presented with a certificate symbolically named the city as a “birth city of Nigeria – a event that then triggered speculation about immigration opportunities.

In the midst of a developing misunderstanding, Jica stressed that it was “never initiative to promote immigration and has no plans to do so in the future,” emphasizing that the focus remains on supporting other forms of international exchanges.

“Jica took this situation seriously. After consulting with all parties involved, JICA had decided to attract the initiative of ‘JICA Africa Hometown’,” the agency concluded.

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