TOKYO: Japan’s international aid agency has cancelled a friendship exchange programme with African nations following the spread of false beliefs that it would lead to increased immigration.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency announced it would scrap the “JICA Africa Hometown” initiative designed to foster cultural and social exchanges between four African countries and four regional Japanese cities.
The announcement triggered a flood of emails and phone calls to the participating cities from anxious people who mistakenly believed the programme represented a new immigration policy.
Local officials became so overwhelmed by the backlash that they struggled to carry out regular municipal operations.
“The project caused misunderstandings and confusion,“ JICA President Akihiko Tanaka told a press conference.
“The Africa Hometown initiative will be withdrawn,“ he said.
The cancellation occurred amid rising anti-immigration sentiment in Japan, despite the country maintaining one of the strictest immigration policies in the developed world.
The JICA initiative was announced as part of a major Africa development conference that Japan hosted in August.
It aimed to provide job training and cultural exchanges and did not include any immigration pathways or special visa arrangements.
The announcement nevertheless sparked false claims, particularly online, that African migrants would flood the participating cities of Kisarazu, Sanjo, Imabari and Nagai.
Anxiety was also fuelled by a mistaken announcement from the Nigerian government which said Japan would “create a special visa category,“ along with some media reports and social media posts falsely claiming the programme was designed to facilitate immigration.
The Japanese government, the participating cities and mainstream media have repeatedly denied the claims.
Despite these denials, the cities continued to receive thousands of critical messages.
Japanese politicians have acknowledged that the country with a shrinking population needs young foreign workers to power its economy but remain cautious about permanent immigration itself.
Foreigners make up just three percent of Japan’s workforce, yet the “Japanese first” Sanseito party performed well in upper house elections with its calls for “stricter rules and limits” on immigration.
Tanaka said JICA would continue to offer international exchange programmes, including those with Africa, and stressed the agency does not deal with immigration issues. – AFP
