President Biden described Japan, an ally, as “xenophobic” this week in a speech along with a long list of other countries he says are suffering from a lack of immigration.
The statements touting the merits and advantages of immigration were made by Biden on Wednesday at a fundraiser in Washington, D.C.
America, democracy, and freedom are at stake in this election. I therefore really need you. You know, you and many others have contributed to the expansion of our economy. Why? because foreigners are welcome here,” he stated.
Why is China’s economy stalling out so badly? Why is everything in Japan going wrong? Why does Russia exist? For what reason is India? Since they harbour xenophobia,” the president went on.
China and Russia are viewed as competitor countries with tense relations with the West on the world stage, while Japan and India are regarded as significant allies of the United States.
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Biden proposed that the economic issues of these countries stem from the fact that they had lower immigration rates than the United States.
They oppose immigration. It is the immigrants that give us strength. Not a jest. That’s not hyperbole, he added, since there’s a wave of workers coming in who want to work and make a difference.
In response to Biden’s remarks on social media, a number of Japanese politicians expressed uncertainty or scepticism about the president’s stance.
“European governments are also grappling with the issue of migration. As of right now, no nation has managed to resolve this issue,” stated Mizuho Umemura, a conservative member of the House of Councillors and member of the Nippon Ishin no Kai Party.
“I hope President Biden solves the problem in New York before he says things like this,” she went on. There’s no reason for Japan to follow suit if there is a 180-degree shift in policy, contingent upon the outcome of the presidential election.”
More bluntly put, fellow House of Councillors member and head of the right-wing populist Sansei Party Sohei Kamiya wrote that immigration-related “failures” in the United States are a factor in Japan’s reluctance to adopt comparable policies.
“It’s not that we’re xenophobic, we are being cautious after seeing your failures,” Kamiya stated. “You are meddling too much in our internal affairs.”
John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communication, defended Biden’s comments during a press conference on Thursday.
“Look, I think the broader point the president was making, and I think people all around the world recognise this, is that the United States is a nation of immigrants and it’s in our DNA,” Kirby stated to reporters. As a result, we’re stronger. We are not going to give up on it. And that’s the main argument he was putting out.”
Kirby objected, emphasising that Biden was trying to highlight the United States, not disparage Japan or India, when asked why the president had singled out two ally countries to make the point.
Again, making a broader point about this country, our country. Our allies know very well how much the president respects them, values their friendship, values their contributions,” Kirby responded. “And you don’t have to look honestly very far, very hard to see that bear out in the things that we’ve been doing in the Indo-Pacific with Japan.
