Nigerians and other Africans are not eligible for special visas or immigration privileges under the Japanese government’s new “JICA Africa Hometown” initiative, the administration has stated.
Reports indicating that Nigerians relocating to Kisarazu city would benefit from a new visa category were “contrary to the facts,” according to a statement released by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.
The ministry clarified that the Africa Hometown program was started by the Japan International Cooperation Agency during the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in order to improve communication between local governments in Japan and African nations.
This scheme designates four Japanese cities as the “home towns” of four African nations. Through a number of initiatives, including the planning of exchange events with JICA overseas cooperation volunteers, JICA hopes to foster interactions between the four African nations and the four Japanese cities.
However, there are no plans to implement policies that would encourage immigration or provide special visas to citizens of African nations, and the numerous announcements and stories about such policies are untrue. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs will keep working to make sure that the right reports and statements are made on this issue,” the statement said.
The Federal Government announced last week that Kisarazu city has been designated as the “hometown” for Nigerians and that a special visa category will be created for highly skilled and talented youths who move there to live and work. The statement was signed by Abiodun Oladunjoye, the Director of Information at the State House.
The statement partially stated, “The special dispensation visa to work in Japan will also benefit artisans and other blue-collar workers from Nigeria who are ready to upskill.”
Mrs. Florence Akinyemi Adeseke, Nigeria’s Chargé d’Affaires in Japan, and Yoshikuni Watanabe, the mayor of Kisarazu, were presented with a certificate designating the city as the “hometown” of Nigerians.
