Kisarazu City in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, has denied claims that its recognition as a hometown of Nigeria under the JICA Africa Hometown Certification is linked to immigration or visa policies for Nigerians.
In a statement on Tuesday, Mayor Yoshikuni Watanabe stressed that while the city was named Nigeria’s hometown at the JICA Africa Hometown Summit during TICAD9, the recognition does not include any plan to accept immigrants or create special work visa pathways.
“We have not requested or been aware of any measures to accept immigrants or relax the requirements for issuing special work visas in Nigeria, as have been reported on some social media platforms,” Watanabe said.
Backstory
The clarification comes days after Nigeria’s State House announced that Japan would create a special visa category for highly skilled young Nigerians to live and work in Kisarazu.
According to the announcement, Kisarazu was chosen as the designated hometown for Nigerians, while other Japanese cities were linked with Tanzania, Ghana, and Mozambique under similar arrangements.
“The government of Japan on Thursday named the city of Kisarazu as the hometown for Nigerians willing to live and work in the country as part of its strategic efforts to deepen cultural diplomacy, promote economic growth and enhance workforce productivity.
“Under this new partnership, announced on the sidelines of the 9th Tokyo International Conference for African Development, the Japanese government will create a special visa category for highly skilled, innovative, and talented young Nigerians who want to move to Kisarazu to live and work,” the statement read
The statement noted that Nigeria’s Charge d’Affaires and Acting Ambassador to Japan, Mrs. Florence Akinyemi Adeseke, alongside Yoshikuni Watanabe, Mayor of Kisarazu, received the certificate officially recognising Kisarazu as the hometown of Nigerians.
City clarifies Nigeria link as cultural exchange
The mayor explained that the recognition stems from Kisarazu’s role as a host town for Nigeria during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
“Regarding the relationship between our city and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we will serve as a host town for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and through this connection, we have recently been certified as a hometown by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (hereinafter referred to as “JICA”).
Regarding future initiatives, we have been selected for JICA’s “2024 Grassroots Partnership Program (Regional Revitalization Type),” and will cooperate in the development of young people’s human resources based on “discipline” through baseball and softball in Nigeria, but this is not an initiative that will lead to the acceptance of immigration or immigrants,” he said
Kisarazu also disclosed that it has asked JICA to provide accurate explanations to avoid confusion about the purpose of the Africa Hometown Certification.
What you should know
Japan also pledged $5.5 billion in new investment across Africa, with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba highlighting the need for cooperation in youth development, women empowerment, and regional integration.
He also urged African nations to support Japan as it faces population decline and reduced farmland.
Authorities in Kisarazu and other cities hope the partnerships will support regional revitalisation and closer ties with African nations.
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