Hometown Program: Cancellation of Initiative Damages Japan’s Diplomacy

Editorial

15:14 JST, September 26, 2025

It is extremely regrettable that turmoil has resulted in cold water being poured on the longstanding good relations between Japan and Africa.

While it is obvious that the government handled the issue poorly, was it truly necessary to cancel the international exchange program, as if bowing to misguided criticism on social media?

One cannot help but worry that this would set a bad precedent that spreading misinformation via social media could alter government policy.

The Foreign Ministry and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have announced that they will cancel the “Hometown” initiative, which was aimed at promoting exchanges between four African countries and four Japanese cities.

This initiative had only been decided on last month at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) held in Yokohama. Four cities were designated as “hometowns” for their respective partner countries. For example, Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture, was paired with Nigeria, and Nagai, Yamagata Prefecture, with Tanzania.

In concrete terms, it was envisioned that the four cities would hold events in their cities that introduce African culture and promote exchange programs, such as by accepting young African people who would cooperate in regional vitalization efforts for the cities.

The confusion began when, after the announcement, the Nigerian government released incorrect information suggesting that Japan would issue special visas.

In addition, a local Tanzanian newspaper used the English term “dedicate,” meaning to “offer,” in its report, giving the impression that the city of Nagai might become part of Tanzania. In this context, the word should have been “designate,” meaning to “officially appoint.”

For this reason, false information spread on social media, such as “immigrants will flood in from Africa” and “public safety will deteriorate.”

Although the ministry and other entities repeatedly said that “this is not a project to promote immigration,” the turmoil did not subside. The four city governments were flooded with protests and complaints. Some of them reportedly sent strong requests to the central government to completely cancel the initiative, stating that it was “disrupting daily operations.”

Did the ministry and other entities sufficiently coordinate with African nations in advance when deciding on the initiative?

With the international situation becoming polarized in multiple directions, it is crucial for Japan to strengthen its ties with African nations. It must be said that the cancellation of the initiative due to misunderstanding is a loss for Japanese diplomacy.

While it is quite natural to crack down on foreigners who break the rules, such as by overstaying their visas, it is undesirable for xenophobic tendencies, in which people direct dissatisfaction with their own lives toward foreigners, to spread through society.

What should be done to advance coexistence with foreigners? It can be said that it is time for the nation as a whole to discuss this issue.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 26, 2025)