Protests have swept through Yokohama and Tokyo in recent days, with demonstrators holding placards denouncing “mass immigration from Africa.” What sparked the outrage was not an immigration law, but a misunderstanding, one born many miles away in Africa, amplified through sensationalist headlines and state-driven propaganda.
At the heart of the controversy lies Japan’s recent outreach to African nations, a gesture meant to foster friendship but now misrepresented as a pathway to mass migration.
The Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), held earlier this month in Yokohama, was intended to celebrate cooperation. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba pledged $5.5 billion to support trade, infrastructure, and new economic corridors.
However, for continuous aid-seeking African states, it became a tool for fragile administrations to boost their popularity within their states and tell their citizens how effective they are on the global stage, as it concerns diplomatic relations.
But what should have been a straightforward diplomatic success has been overshadowed by misinformation campaigns from African governments and media outlets, with Nigeria leading the way.
From symbolism to propaganda
During TICAD 9, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) launched its “Africa Hometown” initiative, pairing four Japanese cities with African counterparts. Kisarazu in Chiba was linked with Nigeria, Nagai in Yamagata with Tanzania, Sanjo in Niigata with Ghana, and Imabari in Ehime with Mozambique.
The programme was designed as a cultural and educational exchange, modest, symbolic, and rooted in municipal-level cooperation.
Yet, across Africa, the narrative spiralled. Tanzanian outlets proclaimed that Nagai City had been “dedicated” to Tanzania, while similar reports in Ghana and Mozambique painted the initiative as an immigration gateway. Nigeria, however, went furthest. Local newspapers declared that Japan had “designated” Kisarazu as a home for Nigerians, with some reports even claiming the arrangement included special visas for artisans and skilled workers. Senior government officials, including Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar, amplified the narrative by tying it to trade growth and diaspora ties.
The hype quickly gained traction online. Nigerians flooded social media with posts imagining relocation to Kisarazu. For a population facing unemployment and inflation, the idea resonated deeply. But it was false. Japan’s Foreign Ministry was forced to issue clarifications, firmly stating there were no visa programmes, no immigration pathways, and certainly no Japanese city “handed over” to Africa.
In Nigeria, as CNN puts it: the Nigerian government itself added to the furore, claiming in a (now-deleted) announcement that “the Japanese government will create a special visa category for highly skilled, innovative, and talented young Nigerians who want to move to Kisarazu (city) to live and work.”
The episode backfired politically. Opposition figures seized the moment to criticise President Bola Tinubu’s administration, accusing it of international embarrassment and using propaganda to distract from domestic crises. What was meant to showcase foreign policy success became another credibility crisis at home.
The fallout in Japan
The real cost of the misinformation, however, has been borne in Japan. Local governments in Kisarazu, Nagai, Sanjo, and Imabari received many phone calls and emails from anxious residents who feared an “influx of immigrants.” Online outrage snowballed into street demonstrations, with protestors accusing the government of secretly planning resettlement schemes. Opposition politicians in Tokyo have also weaponised the controversy, questioning Ishiba’s judgement and calling for a review of Japan’s Africa policy.
For damage control, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “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.
For Japan, the episode is a lesson in managing expectations and communicating clearly with both domestic and foreign audiences. For African governments, it is a cautionary tale: inflating symbolic gestures into grand promises may win headlines, but it undermines trust and credibility in the long run.
The controversy also comes at a sensitive time globally. Across the West, immigration restrictions on Africans are hardening. The United States has expanded deportations to “third countries” in Africa, the EU is debating tighter entry caps, and Israel has pursued deportations of Eritrean and Sudanese migrants. Against this backdrop, any suggestion that Japan is offering settlement opportunities was bound to trigger resistance.
Africa’s leaders must draw a broader lesson
Real progress will not come from chasing illusory opportunities abroad, but from investing in homegrown development.
Propaganda may provide short-term political cover, but as the TICAD saga shows, misinformation has consequences for their citizens and for their international partners.
What began as a symbolic cultural programme has now left Japan grappling with protests, mistrust, and political fallout. And unless African governments embrace honesty in diplomacy, both sides risk losing the goodwill necessary for meaningful cooperation.
