Japan has denied claims that it intends to introduce a special visa category for Nigerians seeking to relocate to Kisarazu, the city it recently tagged as Nigeria’s “hometown.”
At the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) held last week in Yokohama, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) unveiled the ‘JICA Africa Hometown’ initiative to deepen exchanges between African nations and Japanese local governments.
Following the announcement, the Nigerian government said Friday that Japan would “create a special visa category for highly skilled, innovative, and talented young Nigerians who want to move to Kisarazu to live and work.”
The Foreign Ministry said on Monday that it denied reports claiming Tokyo plans 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.
Under the programme, four Japanese cities were paired with four African countries: Kisarazu with Nigeria, Nagai with Tanzania, Sanjo with Ghana, and Imabari with Mozambique.
