Photo/Illutration A protester holds a placard demanding the cancellation of the African hometown program during an Aug. 28 demonstration at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward. (Chika Yamamoto)

The Japan International Cooperation Agency on Sept. 25 canceled its “JICA Africa Hometown” initiative, which I thought was misnamed from the get-go.

I consulted a dictionary, which defines “hometown” as “the town or city in which one lives or was born.” It implies an especially cherished place that gives one a sense of belonging--where one simply feels--“at home.”

I imagine most people use the word positively, as in “I love my hometown.”

For these reasons, JICA’s “African Hometown” initiative sounded more “intimate” than a garden-variety international cooperation or exchange project.

Understandably, the Nigerian government was misled into publishing a statement in which it erroneously claimed that the Japanese government would “create a special visa category” for Nigerian citizens seeking to live and work in the Japanese city of Kisarazu.

I doubt Nigeria would ever have misunderstood the intent of the JICA project, had it been named something like “JICA Africa Friendship Exchange.”

Meanwhile, I was deeply alarmed by the intense hostility with which Japanese social media users instantly began sharing the misinformation that their government was encouraging immigration.

The “Hometown” project involved four Japanese municipalities, and all were subjected to abnormally extensive public disapproval.

A Southeast Asian friend of mine in Japan noted, “It’s scary to think of Japanese people starting to tell foreigners that they are all unwelcome and should leave.”

Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya stated on Sept. 26 that the name and concept of the JICA project “invited misunderstanding and confusion,” and apologized to the four municipalities concerned for the “excessive burden” placed on them

Did JICA, which has run successful aid programs around the world, have no option other than to scrap this initiative?

The last thing I want is for this incident to be seen as “a successful case of keeping foreigners out of Japan.”

In any society where tolerance has no place, people are constantly on edge about the presence of “outsiders” in their midst.

What if JICA’s “Hometown” initiative has created an entrance to such a society?

What lesson must we learn from the latest mistake?

--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 27

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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