Japan Axes ‘Africa Hometown’ Over Visa Fiasco

Olawale Olalekan
5 Min Read

The Japanese government has announced its decision to scrap the ‘Africa Hometown’ project following widespread visa confusion that ignited outrage across the country.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) made this announcement on Thursday, September 25, 2025.

JICA explained that the termination of the ‘Africa Hometown’ initiative was due to what it described as “misunderstandings and confusion”. 

Launched at the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) in Yokohama last month, the ‘Africa Hometown’ program was said to be aimed at fostering cultural and economic ties by designating four Japanese cities as symbolic “hometowns” for partner nations: Kisarazu for Nigeria, Sanjo for Ghana, Imabari for Mozambique, and Nagai for Tanzania.

However, clarifying its position, JICA said the use of the term “hometown” and the idea of “designating” Japanese municipalities as such led to “misunderstandings and confusion within Japan, placing an excessive burden on the four municipalities.”

The statement reads: “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.

“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, placing an excessive burden on the four municipalities. JICA sincerely apologizes to the municipalities involved for causing such a situation.

“JICA takes this situation seriously. After consulting with all parties involved, JICA has decided to withdraw the “JICA Africa Hometown” initiative.”

Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that this comes after confusion arose following an announcement by Nigeria’s State House that Japan had designated Kisarazu city as the “hometown” for Nigerians and would introduce a special visa category for young, skilled Nigerians wishing to live and work there.

The development led to protests in Japan, with many Japanese citizens rejecting the partnership plan the government of Japan had with four African countries: Nigeria, Mozambique, Ghana, and Tanzania.

Many Japanese citizens voiced opposition to the proposed partnership plan, saying that it could increase the influx of Nigerian and other foreign nationals into their cities. 

Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that many of the citizens, fearing cultural and economic strain, took to the streets and social media to express their discontent, urging the government to reconsider the initiative.

“We’re not against foreigners, but we can’t handle a flood of newcomers,” said Hiroshi Tanaka, a Tokyo shopkeeper,

Also, one of the Japanese Citizens who rejected the partnership plan said: “If immigrants come flooding in, who is going to take responsibility?” 

Similarly, a Japanese government official revealed that the government has received 350 phone calls and 3,500 emails since Monday, from residents asking if the country had adopted a new immigration policy.

“Our team of 15 officials spent a whole day handling hundreds of phone calls and thousands of emails from residents,” the official in Sanjo told Agence France-Presse.

However, the Japanese government quickly dismissed the claim.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan clarified that while the JICA Africa Hometown initiative aimed to promote cultural and developmental exchanges between selected African countries and four Japanese cities, it did not involve immigration benefits or special visas.

The government, in a press statement issued last month clarified that the program focuses solely on cultural and economic exchanges, not immigration. 

The ministry explained that during the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, the Japan International Cooperation Agency launched the Africa Hometown programme to strengthen exchanges between African countries and Japanese local governments.

The statement reads: “Under this program, four cities in Japan are designated as ‘home towns’ for four African countries. Under this program, JICA plans to promote exchanges between the four Japanese cities and the four African countries through various activities, including the organisation of exchange events involving JICA overseas cooperation volunteers.

“On the other hand, there are no plans to take measures to promote the acceptance of immigrants or issue special visas for residents of African countries, and the series of reports and announcements concerning such measures is not true. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan will continue to make efforts to ensure that appropriate reporting and statements regarding this matter are carried out.”

Pan-Atlantic Kompass

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Olalekan Olawale is a digital journalist (BA English, University of Ilorin) who covers education, immigration & foreign affairs, climate, technology and politics with audience-focused storytelling.