Japan cancels ‘JICA Africa Hometown’ Programme over misunderstandings

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has officially cancelled its ‘JICA Africa Hometown’ initiative, citing widespread “misunderstandings and confusion” about the programme.

In a statement released on Thursday, JICA explained that reports linking the project to a special visa category for Nigerians and other Africans created unnecessary controversy and pressure on Japanese municipalities.

The controversy began on August 26 when reports claimed that Japan would introduce a special visa for Nigerians to relocate to Kisarazu, a city supposedly designated as “hometown” for Nigerians under the scheme. The Director of Information at the State House, Abiodun Oladunjoye, even issued a statement relaying the claim, which the Japanese government swiftly denied.

According to JICA, the misunderstanding stemmed from the use of the term “hometown” and the suggestion that the agency had “designated” Japanese municipalities as such. This, it said, placed “an excessive burden on the four municipalities” involved.

“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,” the agency said. “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 for causing such situation.”

The programme, launched in August during the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development, was aimed at fostering cultural and educational exchanges between four Japanese municipalities and four African countries.

JICA stressed that it has never promoted immigration and has “no plans to do so in the future,” but reaffirmed its commitment to supporting cultural and developmental partnerships.

The confusion had been amplified after Nigeria’s Chargé d’Affaires in Japan, Florence Akinyemi Adeseke, and Kisarazu’s Mayor, Yoshikuni Watanabe, publicly received a certificate naming Kisarazu the “hometown” of Nigerians, which many interpreted as an endorsement of migration opportunities.

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs later clarified that the programme was strictly about cultural and developmental exchanges and did not involve immigration or special visas.