Japan’s “African Hometown” initiative inspires immigrants

Last week, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) announced that it designated four Japanese cities as symbolic “hometowns” for four African partner countries: Nagai and Tanzania, Nigeria and Nigeria, along with Sancho, Ghana and Imabari and Mozambique. On the surface, it seems like a gesture of goodwill. However, the Japanese public does not believe it. The news has sparked a large number of online rumors about the expected “immigration flooding” on these coasts.

Mayor Kisarazu clarifies “hometown” agreement with Nigeria

A statement posted on the Nigeria State Building website last Friday was barely rumored. It said the Japanese government is creating a “special visa category” for highly skilled, innovative and talented Nigerians who want to move to Kisalazu to live and work. It added, “Craftsmen ready for turbulence and other Nigerian blue-collar workers will also benefit from the special visa allocation.”

This led to a series of online complaints. Local governments in the four cities have had to deal with a lot of inquiries about citizens who fear that their hometowns will be taken over by immigrants. Nigeria – Valentine Hosokawa, a former Japanese professional boxer, was one of the people who expressed his concerns. He said in the online video that the situation in Kisalazu could be 100 times worse than the Kurdish refugee crisis in Satama, where many anti-Kurdian demonstrations occurred.

According to Kisarazu officials, the City website had at least 500 contacts by Monday morning. “We have not requested to accept immigration or mitigate the special work visa requirements for Nigerians,” Watnab Mayor Yoshikuni Watanabe said. The Nigerian State Building website removed its original statement and released a new statement on Tuesday with a title of “correction.” It has no information on special visas for Nigerian workers who want to move to Japan.

According to the Japanese government, “no intention to promote immigration”

Governments in the three other cities involved in the initiative explained to citizens that this is not an immigration drive. Cabinet Chief Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi emphasized this on Tuesday morning. “As some reports suggest, there is no intention to promote immigration or issue special visas to partner countries, and these claims are not based on facts,” he said. “Although there is a plan to accept interns through the JICA training program, this is limited.”

The “JICA Hometown of Africa” ​​project was announced at the 9th Tokyo International Development Conference (TICAD 9) held in Yokohama last week.

Related Articles