Japan has denied claims that it plans to introduce a special visa program for young Nigerians under the Japan International Cooperation Agency’s (JICA) “Africa Hometown” initiative, urging Abuja to correct what it called a misleading announcement.
The denial came after Nigeria’s presidency issued a statement last week suggesting that Japan would create a new visa category for highly skilled and innovative young Nigerians to live and work in Kisarazu, a Japanese city designated as Nigeria’s partner in the program.
In a statement on Tuesday, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said the Nigerian announcement “contained information inconsistent with the facts.” It stressed that while the JICA initiative aims to strengthen exchanges between four Japanese cities and four African countries through cultural and development activities, there are “no plans” to issue special visas or promote immigration under the scheme.
Tokyo’s clarification followed social media speculation that Japan was preparing to welcome African migrants to address its rural labor shortages and demographic challenges. Officials insisted such reports were inaccurate.
The controversy comes on the heels of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), held in Yokohama last week with participation from nearly 50 African nations. At the summit, Japan pledged $5.5 billion in loans to support Africa’s sustainable development projects.