Last week, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) announced that it was designating four Japanese cities as symbolic “hometowns” for four partner countries in Africa: Nagai with Tanzania, Kisarazu with Nigeria, Sanjo with Ghana and Imabari with Mozambique. On the surface, it seemed like a goodwill gesture to promote ties with those nations. The Japanese public, however, wasn’t convinced. The announcement sparked a flurry of online rumors about an expected “flood of immigrants” arriving on these shores.
Kisarazu Mayor Clarifies ‘Hometown’ Deal With Nigeria
A statement released on the Nigeria State House website last Friday did little to quell those rumors. It said the Japanese government is creating a “special visa category for highly skilled, innovative and talented young Nigerians who want to move to Kisarazu to live and work.” It added that, “Artisans and other blue-collar workers from Nigeria who are ready to upskill will also benefit from the special dispensation visa to work in Japan.”
This led to a series of complaints online. Local governments of the four cities had to deal with a huge number of inquiries from concerned citizens who feared their hometown was about to be taken over by immigrants. Valentine Hosokawa, a Nigerian-Japanese former pro boxer, was among those to voice his concerns. Appearing in an online video, he said the situation in Kisarazu could become 100 times worse than the Kurdish refugee crisis in Saitama, where there have been many anti-Kurd demonstrations.
According to officials in Kisarazu, the city website was contacted at least 500 times by Monday morning. Mayor Yoshikuni Watanabe released an online statement, saying, “We did not ask to accept migrants or ease special working visa requirements for Nigerians.” The Nigeria State House website deleted its original statement and posted a new one on Tuesday with “correction” in the title. It didn’t include anything about special visas for Nigerian workers hoping to move to Japan.
Kisarazu Mayor Yoshikuni Watanabe
‘No Intention of Promoting Immigration’ According to Japan Government
The governments of the other three cities involved in the initiative have all been explaining to their citizens that it is not an immigration drive. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi underlined this point on Tuesday morning. “There is no intention of promoting immigration or issuing special visas to the partnering countries as some reports have suggested, and such claims are not based on facts,” he said. “While there is a plan to accept interns through JICA training programs, it is for a limited period,” added Hayashi.
The “JICA Africa Hometown” project was announced at the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), which was held in Yokohama last week.
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Updated On August 27, 2025
