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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
Japan denies giving away city to Tanzania after misinformation sparks
anti-immigration backlash
By Jessie Yeung, CNN
Updated:
1:24 AM EDT, Wed August 27, 2025
Source: CNN
government would like you to know: no, they’re not giving away a city
to Tanzania.
Authorities have been in damage control mode for the last few days
after widespread misinformation about a cultural exchange program
sparked a public panic – reflecting Japan’s conservative attitudes
toward immigration and a recent rise in anti-foreigner sentiment.
The controversy began when Japanese authorities announced a new
initiative last week under the Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA), which cooperates with global partners on issues including
climate change and healthcare.
The new program established four cities across different prefectures as
symbolic “hometowns” for partner countries in Africa: Mozambique,
Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania.
Through exchange events and overseas volunteers, the program aims to
address challenges in Africa while revitalizing local communities in
Japan, many of which face their own problems of economic and
demographic decline, according to JICA and Japan’s Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.
But soon, misinformation spread – with some local African media
reports giving “the false impression that … Nagai City in Yamagata
Prefecture would become part of the country of Tanzania,” said JICA
on Monday.
The Nigerian government itself added to the furor, claiming on Friday
in a (now-deleted) announcement that “the Japanese government will
create a special visa category for highly skilled, innovative, and
talented young Nigerians who want to move to Kisarazu (city) to live
and work.”
The backlash was swift and furious.
Social media was awash in viral posts about the issue, with outraged
comments voicing concerns about public safety, the burden on resources,
and the fear of immigrants overstaying their visas. Some comments seen
by CNN were blatantly racist or xenophobic, propagating negative
stereotypes about African nations and people.
The four cities involved in the program found themselves overwhelmed
with complaints. For instance, in Imabari, officials received about
1,000 emails and 450 phone calls about the issue on Monday, according
to . Elsewhere, local mayors were forced to issue public statements
trying to reassure the public.
The central government eventually had to step in, with Chief Cabinet
Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa holding a news conference on Tuesday to
dispel rumors. While the program will take in interns through JICA’s
training programs, those are temporary and the interns will return to
their home countries afterward, he said, according to NHK.
“There are no plans to take measures to promote the acceptance of
immigrants or issue special visas for residents of African countries,
and the series of reports and announcements concerning such measures
are not true,” the foreign ministry said
JICA and other authorities urged the partner African governments and
corresponding local media to correct the information. Since then, the
Nigerian government has removed its original announcement – and on
Tuesday, labeled “correction,” with no mention of special visas.
But many social media users aren’t appeased, with some calling to
dismantle JICA entirely, or voicing distrust of the organization’s
statements.
Xenophobia and racism
The controversy reflects the growing wave of anti-immigration sentiment
in Japan – also seen in the rise of the right-wing populist party
Sanseito, in recent parliamentary elections after campaigning on a
Trump-style “Japanese First” message.
Japan has traditionally been strict on immigration, as well as
ethnically and culturally homogenous. Those who look different –
either being of foreign ethnicity or – have consistently reported
experiencing even if they were born in Japan or are Japanese nationals.
That’s especially true for
Years of low immigration, combined with Japan’s plunging birth rate,
have left as the elderly population swells and the younger population
shrinks – pushing the government to international tourists and
migrant workers in recent years.
To some extent, it’s worked – Japan’s population of foreign
residents has jumped from 2.23 million to 3.77 million over the past
decade, though that still only accounts for 3% of the total population
of more than 120 million people.
But it’s also caused annoyance and concern among Japanese residents
who say they’re already facing a host of problems they fear could get
worse – including stagnant wages, high inflation and living costs.
The Sanseito party tapped into these frustrations on the campaign trail
– doling out rhetoric that some critics called inflammatory and
xenophobic.
“Right now, Japanese people’s lives are getting harder and
harder,” said party leader Sohei Kamiya in a speech in July, before
the elections.
He claimed foreign workers who couldn’t find good jobs would increase
crime, and warned: “More and more foreigners are coming (to
Japan).”
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