By John Umeh
Japan has pulled the plug on its “Africa Hometown” project after widespread confusion over claims that the scheme included special visa opportunities for Nigerians and other Africans.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) announced on Thursday, September 25, that the initiative—launched in August to promote exchanges between four Japanese municipalities and four African countries—would no longer go ahead.
According to JICA, the project was meant to encourage cultural and educational partnerships, not immigration. However, its use of the term “hometown” and the suggestion that Japanese cities could be formally “designated” as such led to serious misunderstandings both in Japan and abroad.
The controversy began in August when Nigeria’s State House issued a statement suggesting Japan had designated Kisarazu, a city in Chiba Prefecture, as a “hometown” for Nigerians and would introduce a new visa category for young skilled migrants. The Japanese government swiftly denied this, insisting no such visa programme had ever been planned.
In its withdrawal statement, JICA apologised to the four Japanese municipalities involved, saying the confusion had placed an unnecessary burden on them. The agency stressed it has never promoted immigration schemes and has “no intention of doing so in the future.”
The miscommunication deepened after Nigeria’s Chargé d’Affaires in Japan, Florence Akinyemi Adeseke, joined Kisarazu’s Mayor, Yoshikuni Watanabe, in a ceremony where a certificate naming the city a “hometown” for Nigerians was presented—an event that further fuelled speculation about relocation opportunities.
With the initiative cancelled, Japan says it will now focus on other avenues of international exchange that avoid misinterpretation while maintaining its commitment to stronger ties with African nations.
