THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
August 28, 2025 at 17:11 JST
The Nigerian Embassy in Tokyo (Chika Yamamoto)
Nigerian authorities have deleted an erroneous statement about Japan issuing special visas for Nigerians, a misinterpretation that fueled false claims on social media that Tokyo was opening its doors wide open for African immigrants.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the removal on Aug. 26, following formal discussions with the Nigerian government.
The bogus visa claim was part of a flood of misinformation about a cultural and international friendship project organized by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
JICA recently designated four Japanese municipalities as symbolic “JICA Africa Hometowns” for African governments.
The announced pairs are: Imabari in Ehime Prefecture with Mozambique; Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture with Nigeria; Sanjo in Niigata Prefecture with Ghana; and Nagai in Yamagata Prefecture with Tanzania.
Mistranslations about the program spread on X and other social media platforms, and the JICA program was wrongly criticized as allowing a “flood of African immigrants” to enter Japan.
Some posts even claimed Japanese territory was being given to the African nations under the program.
The four municipal mayors each released statements saying these rumors were completely untrue.
Hisashi Matsumoto, parliamentary vice minister for foreign affairs, on Aug. 28 reiterated that Japan has no special visa programs or eased immigration policies for the African countries.
He also acknowledged the ministry’s slow response in preventing the spread of the misinformation.
“The recent development partly reflects how Japanese society is becoming increasingly sensitive to words like ‘immigrants’ and ‘foreigners,’” he told reporters.
In Nigeria’s case, the country’s presidential office published an online statement claiming that Japan would “create a special visa category for highly skilled, innovative and talented young Nigerians who want to move to Kisarazu to live and work.”
At the request of Japan’s Foreign Ministry, Nigerian authorities withdrew the original post and issued a new statement, clarifying that the hometown designations are part of efforts to strengthen cultural ties between the two nations.
Nigerian officials said they initially misunderstood the essence of JICA’s announcement about Kisarazu being designated as a “hometown” for Nigeria.
Japan scrambles to refute claims it is bringing in a ‘flood’ of Africans
August 26, 2025
Japanese and Nigerian police arrest 20 over online scam ring
February 19, 2025
‘Honest’ Nigerian finds fame after handing in lost wallet in Japan
January 25, 2021
8 companies, JICA establish association for foreign workers
May 24, 2022
Skills program could be lifeline for stranded foreign trainees
September 7, 2021
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
