Japan Halts Africa ‘Hometown’ Programme Over False Immigration Fears

Japan has cancelled its Africa “Hometown” exchange programme following widespread misinformation that wrongly linked the initiative to immigration and special visas for Africans.

The scheme, launched by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), was designed to strengthen cultural, educational and training exchanges between Japanese cities and African countries.

Under the initiative, Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture was paired with Nigeria, Nagai in Yamagata with Tanzania, Sanjo in Niigata with Ghana and Imabari in Ehime with Mozambique.

However, the programme came under intense scrutiny after claims spread on social media and in some government statements suggesting that Africans, especially Nigerians, would receive special visas or be allowed to settle permanently in the Japanese “hometowns.”

Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and JICA both denied the allegations, clarifying that the initiative had no immigration component and was strictly for cultural exchange. Despite these clarifications, local municipalities in Japan were inundated with calls and emails from residents alarmed at the perceived immigration plan.

Nigerian media also reported on the controversy after an initial government statement about “special visas” was later retracted.

Facing mounting public pressure, JICA announced the cancellation of the programme on Thursday, saying that misinformation had undermined the environment needed for the initiative to succeed.

The abrupt end of the Africa “Hometown” programme has raised concerns among analysts and policymakers about how misinformation can derail international cooperation.

For Nigeria and other African countries, it represents a setback for grassroots partnerships with Japan.