Japan has firmly denied reports suggesting it plans to introduce a special visa category for skilled Nigerians under its new partnership with Kisarazu City through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)’s “Africa Hometown” programme.
The Japanese Foreign Ministry clarified in a statement on Monday that no new visa policies are being created specifically for Nigerian or other African immigrants as part of the initiative.
“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 are not true,” the statement said.
This clarification contradicts earlier media claims that Japan was working with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s administration to launch a new visa pathway for highly skilled and talented Nigerians to live and work in Kisarazu a city recently named Nigeria’s symbolic “hometown” in Japan.
The JICA Africa Hometown initiative, launched to enhance cultural and development cooperation, links four African countries with four Japanese cities: Nigeria with Kisarazu, Tanzania with Nagai, Ghana with Sanjo, and Mozambique with Imabari. The programme aims to foster people-to-people exchanges through cultural events and volunteer-led projects.
While Japan remains open to skilled foreign professionals through existing frameworks like the J-Skip visa, no special provisions are being made under the Africa Hometown initiative.
The J-Skip visa already supports highly skilled workers with benefits such as expedited permanent residency, family inclusion, and faster immigration procedures. Eligibility requires a job offer from a Japanese institution, a minimum income threshold, relevant professional experience, and strong academic qualifications.
