Japan’s international aid agency has cancelled a new cultural exchange initiative with African nations after false claims spread that the programme would open the door to mass immigration.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) announced on Thursday that it would withdraw the “JICA Africa Hometown” project, which had been designed to foster job training and cultural exchanges between four African countries and four regional Japanese cities.
Instead, the initiative triggered a surge of phone calls and emails from residents alarmed by rumours that it was a backdoor immigration policy. Officials in Kisarazu, Sanjo, Imabari and Nagai — the cities involved — said they were overwhelmed by the backlash and struggled to maintain daily operations.
“The project caused misunderstandings and confusion,” JICA President Akihiko Tanaka told reporters. “The Africa Hometown initiative will be withdrawn.”
The cancellation comes amid heightened anti-immigration sentiment in Japan, which maintains some of the strictest immigration rules in the developed world despite an ageing population and shrinking workforce. Foreigners currently account for just three percent of Japan’s labour force.
The controversy was further fuelled by a mistaken announcement from the Nigerian government, which incorrectly stated that Japan would create a new visa category, as well as media reports and online speculation suggesting the programme was intended to facilitate African migration.
Japanese officials and mainstream outlets repeatedly denied those claims, but criticism continued to mount.
At an Africa development conference hosted by Tokyo in August, the initiative had been presented as a way to promote ties between communities in Japan and Africa — with no immigration pathways or visa arrangements attached.
While some politicians have argued that Japan must bring in more young foreign workers to support its economy, mainstream parties remain wary of loosening immigration controls. The nationalist Sanseito party has capitalised on such concerns, gaining ground in recent elections with calls for tougher restrictions.
Tanaka stressed that JICA will continue to run international exchange programmes, including with African nations, but said the agency does not deal with immigration matters.
