US plans to shut 5 consulates, including those in Canada, Japan and Indonesia

The US ​State Department has notified Congress that it plans to close five foreign missions, Reuters writes, referring to people familiar with the notice.

In the notice sent to some congressional committees late last week, the US State Department said it planned to close its posts in St. George’s, Grenada; Nagoya, Japan; Medan, Indonesia; Douala, Cameroon; and Winnipeg, Canada.

Early last year, during the opening months of the Trump administration, ​the agency began preparations to shut down nearly a dozen foreign missions.

The move is not linked to any specific geopolitical development, according to reports. It is part of a broader push by the Republican president to transform the US bureaucracy so that it is fully aligned with his “America First” agenda.