JICA to Abandon “Hometown” Project with African Countries

Tokyo, Sept. 25 (Jiji Press)–The Japan International Cooperation Agency plans to abandon its “hometown” project aimed at promoting people-to-people exchanges between African countries and partner Japanese cities, people familiar with the matter said Thursday. The decision came after false claims circulated on social media that the project would facilitate the intake of immigrants, triggering a backlash against JICA and municipalities involved in the project. In August, JICA paired four African countries with Japanese cities under the project: Tanzania with Nagai in Yamagata Prefecture, Ghana with Sanjo in Niigata Prefecture, Nigeria with Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture and Mozambique with Imabari in Ehime Prefecture. Although the project’s purpose was to promote international exchanges, the Nigerian government released false information suggesting that Japan would issue special visas for Nigerians, which led to a firestorm on social media and protests against related local governments. JICA and the Japanese Foreign Ministry had been considering various measures to resolve the confusion, including renaming the project following requests to do so from municipal government officials who argued that the word “hometown” had caused misunderstandings. Even after the project is withdrawn, JICA intends to continue supporting people-to-people interactions with African countries. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]