Japan Cancels African exchange programme following backlash

Japan’s international cooperation agency (JICA) has cancelled its “Africa Hometown” exchange programme after weeks of backlash and misinformation that misrepresented the initiative as an immigration scheme. Announced on August 27,  2025, the plan paired four Japanese cities with four African countries; Imabari with Mozambique, Kisarazu with Nigeria, Sanjo with Ghana and Nagai with Tanzania, to promote cultural and educational exchanges. It offered no visa privileges or residency pathway.

Confusion deepened when a statement, briefly posted online by the Nigerian government and later deleted, claimed Japan would “create a special visa category for highly skilled, innovative and talented young Nigerians who want to move to Japan.” That claim helped fuel a false narrative that the programme was a migration channel.

The story spread quickly on social media, amplified by high-profile accounts including Twitter chief executive Elon Musk. In a post reacting to the plan, Musk suggested that large numbers of non-Japanese arrivals could alter the country’s cultural and demographic identity, a view largely echoed by anti-immigration activists.

Local governments soon faced a surge of hostility. Officials across Japan reported hundreds of angry calls and thousands of emails within days. Sanjo logged about 350 calls and 3,500 emails, while Imabari recorded roughly 460 calls and 1,400 emails. Despite repeated statements that the programme was an educational exchange, not an immigration scheme, the backlash persisted.

By September, JICA president Akihiko Tanaka said the level of misunderstanding left participating cities unable to continue. He stressed that Japan remains committed to cooperation with African nations, but confirmed the Africa Hometown scheme will not go forward.

The cancellation underscores the power of misinformation to derail public policy and highlights Japan’s uneasy relationship with immigration. Despite an aging population and shrinking workforce, immigrants account for only about three percent of Japan’s population, and public opinion remains wary of large-scale migration. The episode also risks straining diplomatic goodwill with African partners who expected an exchange focused on mutual learning and cultural ties.