Japan’s international aid agency said Thursday it will cancel a friendship exchange programme with African nations after false beliefs spread that it would open the door to waves of migrants.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency said it would scrap the “JICA Africa Hometown” initiative, which was designed to foster cultural and social exchanges between four African countries and as many regional Japanese cities.

But the announcement triggered a flood of emails and phone calls to the participating cities from anxious people who believed the programme was a new immigration policy.

Local officials became so overwhelmed by the backlash that they struggled to carry out regular municipal operations.

“The project caused misunderstandings and confusion,” JICA President Akihiko Tanaka told a press conference.

“The Africa Hometown initiative will be withdrawn,” he said.

The cancellation came amid rising anti-immigration sentiment in Japan, despite the country maintaining one of the strictest immigration policies in the developed world.

The JICA initiative was announced as part of a major Africa development conference that Japan hosted in August.

It aimed to provide job training and cultural exchanges and did not include immigration pathways or special visa arrangements.