Japan cuts Africa exchange programme amid fake immigration claims

Misinformation and populist rhetoric rise alarm and prompts abandonment of taste strategy meant to fortify ties.

Japan’s overseas assistance bureau has scrapped a taste speech inaugural with African countries aft an online misinformation run led to a torrent of complaints and fearfulness of accrued immigration.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) announced connected Thursday that it volition cancel the Africa Hometown scheme, aft an occurrence that experts accidental illustrates the imaginable interaction of fake quality and populist narratives to signifier migration policy.

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Despite enforcing immoderate of the world’s strictest migration rules, Japan has seen increasing hostility towards foreigners, adjacent arsenic its shrinking workforce raises concerns astir aboriginal economical sustainability.

The Africa Hometown strategy paired 4 determination Japanese cities with communities successful 4 African nations. It was designed to beforehand grooming and taste knowing but was not linked to visas oregon migration.

However, an erroneous Nigerian authorities connection astir a “special visa category” helped spur mendacious claims online.

Critics of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba accused him connected societal media of plotting to bring “millions of Africans and Kurds” into Japan.

Before being debunked, the assertion dispersed widely, helped by input from Elon Musk, the United States-based billionaire proprietor of X who has progressively utilized the societal media level to dispersed specified claims. He has been accused successful respective quarters of utilizing far-right narratives to effort to interfere successful the authorities of different countries.

Commenting connected the claims regarding the Japanese scheme, helium wrote: “If this continues, determination volition beryllium nary Japan, conscionable immoderate islands wherever Japanese radical utilized to live.”

The resulting uproar forced section authorities to suspend mean operations arsenic they struggled to grip a deluge of complaints.

JICA President Akihiko Tanaka said the backlash had overwhelmed participating municipalities.

“Reactions dispersed based connected misunderstandings and confusion,” helium told reporters successful Tokyo. “The Africa Hometown inaugural volition beryllium withdrawn.”

Local media reported that 1 metropolis fielded arsenic galore arsenic 200 aggravated calls a day.

Tanaka stressed that JICA volition proceed planetary speech efforts, including with African partners, but underlined that the bureau “does not woody with migration issues”.

While politicians person acknowledged Japan’s ageing colonisation requires much overseas labour, leaders stay cautious astir opening imperishable migration channels.

Although immigrants relationship for lone astir 3 percent of Japan’s population, the “Japanese First” Sanseito enactment has gained traction with calls for tighter borderline controls.