The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has scrapped its “JICA Africa Hometown” initiative, citing widespread “misunderstandings and confusion” over the programme.
The decision, announced in a statement on JICA’s website Thursday, comes weeks after claims circulated that Japan would create a special visa category for young Nigerians wishing to relocate to Kisarazu, a Japanese city designated as a “hometown” under the scheme.
On August 26, the Nigerian presidency issued a statement saying Japan planned to introduce a visa route for highly skilled and innovative Nigerians to live and work in Kisarazu. The Japanese government quickly denied the report, stressing that the programme was never immigration-related.
Clarifying its position, JICA said the terminology used—particularly the designation of Japanese municipalities as “hometowns”—sparked confusion and placed “an excessive burden” on the four host 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.
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. JICA sincerely apologizes to the municipalities involved.”
Launched in August 2025 during the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), the initiative was meant to foster cultural, educational, and developmental exchanges between four Japanese municipalities and four African countries.
JICA stressed it has “never undertaken initiatives to promote immigration and has no plans to do so in the future.” Instead, the agency will continue supporting non-immigration exchange programmes with African nations.
The confusion deepened after Nigeria’s Chargé d’Affaires in Japan, Florence Akinyemi Adeseke, and Kisarazu Mayor Yoshikuni Watanabe received a certificate naming Kisarazu as Nigeria’s “hometown.” The symbolic gesture fuelled speculation that migration opportunities were tied to the project.
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs later reiterated that the programme was solely cultural and developmental in scope, with no visa or immigration benefits attached.
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