Eriya Kategaya, Uganda's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, said Thursday the government will negotiate with Japan on the possibility of making it easier for Ugandans to work in Japan.
He said the government is planning to negotiate with the Japanese government on the possibilities of soliciting jobs and formalizing the stay of those Ugandans already in Japan.
While defending his ministry's budget for this financial year, the minister last week told a legislative committee that Ugandans working abroad legally or illegally would be defended because they bring in large sums of foreign exchange.
Kategaya said the government is aware that Ugandans working in Japan are bringing back large sums of foreign exchange even though it has not been possible for the government to facilitate and support their efforts.
He said Ugandans living abroad, whatever their visa status, need consular protection. Many Ugandans have reportedly gone underground in Japan after their visas expired.
In January, during a meeting between Japanese Embassy officials in Kampala and a Ugandan minister responsible for the presidency, Uganda appealed to Japan to relax the strict visa restrictions it imposed on Ugandans two years ago.
Japan imposed the restrictions on Ugandans following cases of businessmen, visitors and athletes vanishing in Japan after their visas had expired.