Japan’s foreign aid agency, JICA, has canceled an Africa-focused cultural exchange program following protests and political backlash.
The “Africa Hometown” initiative is aimed to promote social ties between four African countries—Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana, and Tanzania—and Japanese cities. However, misinformation and social media posts falsely claimed the program would lead to a surge of migrants, prompting numerous complaints from local residents.
While this has overwhelmed municipal authorities and disrupted regular operations, the cancellation occurs amid rising anti-immigration sentiments in Japan, which faces a declining population and economic concerns. Also, JICA has apologized for the confusion and intends to pursue other international exchange efforts.
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