Japan Refutes Biden’s Comments Describing the Country as ‘Xenophobic’
President Joe Biden stated that Japan, together with three different nations, was struggling economically attributable to its refusal to simply accept immigrants.
The Japanese embassy on Friday rejected President Joe Biden’s current feedback that labeled Japan—together with three different nations—as “xenophobic,” calling the president’s remarks “unlucky.”
At a Washington fundraising occasion on Could 1, President Biden grouped U.S. allies Japan and India with U.S. adversaries China and Russia, saying their financial challenges come up from their refusal to simply accept immigrants.
“Look, give it some thought. Why is China stalling so badly economically? Why is Japan having hassle? Why is Russia? Why is India? As a result of they’re xenophobic. They don’t need immigrants,” he added.
The Japanese embassy has refuted his feedback, saying that it was “unlucky that a few of the feedback weren’t primarily based on an correct understanding of Japan’s insurance policies,” Politico reported.
“We have now raised this level to the U.S. authorities and defined Japan’s positions and insurance policies as soon as once more,” the embassy instructed the information outlet.
White Home Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre later clarified that the president’s intention was to convey a broader message that america is “a nation of immigrants.”
Japan stated it acknowledged the U.S. clarification that President Biden’s remark “was not made with the intent of undermining the significance and permanence of the Japan-U.S. relationship.”
His remarks come only a month after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made an official go to to Washington in early April, throughout which the leaders mentioned deepening cooperation between their nations in protection and safety, and different sectors.
The White Home said that the nations’ militaries will cooperate with a joint command construction and they’re going to, along with Australia, develop a brand new air missile protection community.
The USA and its allies, together with Japan, have been bolstering their militaries to counter what they see as a rising menace from China within the South China Sea and the East China Sea.
“After I meet different world leaders, I say, ‘Would you commerce locations with China? Would you commerce locations with their issues?’ They’ve received a inhabitants that’s extra individuals in retirement than working,” he stated. “They’re xenophobic—no one else coming in. They’ve received actual issues.”
Eva Fu and Reuters contributed to this report.