An IMGW News Report
It obviously isn’t. But the very idea that Japan might hand over sovereign territory to an African country was enough to stir up hysteria at home and bemusement abroad. What began as a cultural-exchange programme under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) quickly morphed into viral misinformation, triggering a storm of complaints, xenophobic outbursts and government denials — and laying bare the anxieties of a country grappling with demographic decline and deep-seated unease about foreigners.
From “hometown” project to hoax
JICA had designated four Japanese cities as symbolic “hometowns” for African partners — Mozambique, Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania — in an effort to encourage cultural exchange and revitalise depopulating regions. Within days, the scheme was misreported as a wholesale handover. Some African media even suggested that Nagai City in Yamagata Prefecture was being “given” to Tanzania.
Nigeria’s government unwittingly fanned the flames by claiming that special visas for Nigerians would be created — before hurriedly retracting the announcement. The damage was done: in Imabari alone, officials logged 1,000 emails and 450 phone calls in a single day.
The backlash
On social media, commentary veered from anxious to openly racist. Critics invoked fears of crime, overstretched resources and “foreign dilution” of Japan’s culture. The government was eventually forced to intervene, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi insisting:
A woman in Goree, Dakar, Senegal
“There are no plans to promote the acceptance of immigrants or issue special visas for African residents.”
Authorities stressed that while JICA may host African interns, these would be temporary placements only.
A demographic paradox
The fury surrounding an obviously false rumour points to Japan’s deeper paradox. The country is facing the lowest fertility rate in its modern history — just 1.20 births per woman in 2023 — and one of the fastest-shrinking populations in the developed world. Japan lost 800,000 people in 2023 alone, while a third of its population is already aged over 65.
By 2050, UN forecasts suggest the total population could fall below 105 million, down from more than 125 million today. The workforce is hollowing out; the pension burden is growing heavier.
“Unless it changes course, its biggest threat will not be the influx of foreigners, but the absence of them”
Yet despite these pressures, Japan has resisted large-scale immigration. Foreign residents have risen over the past decade from 2.23 million to 3.77 million, but they still account for only 3% of the total population. By comparison, Germany’s immigrant share is 18%, Canada’s 23%.
Comparative Data
Table 1. Fertility Rates (2023, births per woman)
Japan in stark contrast to peers
| Country | Fertility Rate |
|---|---|
| Japan | 1.20 |
| Germany | 1.58 |
| Canada | 1.49 |
| United Kingdom | 1.55 |
| OECD Average | 1.59 |
Table 2. Immigrants as Share of Population (2023, %)
Japan at the bottom among advanced economies
| Country | % of Population Foreign-born |
|---|---|
| Japan | 3% |
| Germany | 18% |
| Canada | 23% |
| United Kingdom | 15% |
| OECD Average | 14% |
Politics of exclusion
The rise of the right-wing populist Sanseito party has made matters worse. Campaigning on a Trump-style “Japanese First” message, it tapped into grievances about stagnant wages, rising living costs and social insecurity — often by scapegoating foreigners.
To its supporters, immigrants pose a threat rather than an economic necessity. But the numbers say otherwise. Without greater openness, labour shortages will deepen, productivity will falter, and the tax base needed to sustain Japan’s ageing society will shrink further.
The hoax that hit a nerve
The falsehood that Japan was “giving away” a city may have been laughable. The intensity of the backlash was not. It revealed the fragility of public attitudes toward immigration, and the yawning gap between demographic need and political will.
A global echo
Japan’s struggle is not unique. Across Europe and North America, far-right parties have turned migration into a wedge issue, capitalising on fears of cultural loss and economic insecurity. France, Austria and Italy are seeing resurgent nationalism, while in Britain and the United States populist rhetoric continues to dominate political debate.
The difference is that most Western economies, for all the noise, still rely heavily on immigration to plug demographic and labour gaps. Japan, by contrast, is holding the door firmly shut. Unless it changes course, its biggest threat will not be the influx of foreigners, but the absence of them.
