IN SHORT: A Facebook post claims that at a high-profile forum on African development in August 2025, Japan announced a plan to resettle migrants from Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana and Mozambique. This is false – what was announced was a plan to promote cultural exchange and partnerships.
A post circulating on Facebook claims that at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, also known as Ticad, Japan created a special visa programme to resettle African migrants.
The claim alleges that four Japanese cities have been designated as “hometowns” for migrants from Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana and Mozambique, supposedly to fill labour shortages and revitalise rural areas.
According to Japan’s Immigration Services Agency, as of 2023 just under 40,000 African nationals legally resided in Japan. They make up 1.2% of the country’s total foreign population of about 3.2 million.
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Most are students, professionals or technical trainees. The largest groups of foreign residents come from countries such as China, Vietnam and the Philippines.
The claim triggered a wave of backlash, including xenophobic comments and angry calls and emails to offices in the named Japanese cities. For example, the city of Imabari reported hundreds of complaints, while officials in Nagai said they had been inundated with inquiries from worried residents.
Similar posts were posted here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But is this information accurate? We checked.
Cultural exchange, not special visas for African migrants
Ticad was launched in 1993 by Japan in partnership with the United Nations, the African Union and the World Bank, to strengthen cooperation with Africa. The ninth edition was held in Yokohama from 20 to 22 August 2025, bringing together African leaders, Japanese officials and international partners to discuss trade, development, technology, peace and security.
While demographic change and labour mobility have occasionally featured at past Ticad meetings, no visa programme or settlement scheme for African migrants was announced at the 2025 forum.
The viral posts misinterpret a new initiative unveiled at the summit, the “hometown” programme. Run by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, it pairs the four Japanese cities of Kisarazu, Nagai, Sanjō and Imabari with four African countries: Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana and Mozambique respectively.
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They were selected because they are smaller regional cities facing population decline and seeking ways to establish international ties through cultural exchange. The cities also hosted athletes from the four countries during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Japanese officials swiftly moved to set the record straight. The ministry of foreign affairs dismissed these claims as “not true”.
“… 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 ministry said in a statement.
Similar posts have also been published here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.