The person in Japan who endorsed ivermectin is not a government minister. [1]

If you're referring to the Elgazzar paper from Egypt (as the "population studies in [..] Africa"), then it has been withdrawn from pre-print distribution. [2]

And, in general, the studies that have been performed are not sufficient to support ivermectin use among the general public at this time. [3]

[1] https://factcheck.afp.com/http%253A%252F%252Fdoc.afp.com%252...

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jul/16/huge-study-s...

[3] https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/ivermectin-still-...