President Biden called Japan, an ally, “xenophobic” in a speech this week and claimed many other countries faced a lack of immigrants.
Biden spoke at a Washington, D.C., fundraiser on Wednesday, extolling the virtues and benefits of immigrants
“This election is about freedom, America, and democracy. That’s why I need you so much. You know, one of the reasons our economy is growing is because of you and so many others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants.”
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President Joe Biden speaks at the IBEW Construction and Maintenance Conference in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“Why is China’s economic stagnation so severe? Why is Japan in trouble? Why Russia? Why India? Because they are xenophobic,” the president continued.
Japan and India are seen as important allies of the United States, while China and Russia are seen as competitors with tense international relations with the West.
Biden said lower immigration levels in these countries compared with the United States were the cause of their respective economic concerns.
“They don’t want immigrants. Immigration is what makes us strong. It’s not a joke. It’s not an exaggeration because we have a huge influx of workers here who want to contribute.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Japanese embassy for comment but did not receive a response.
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Migrants at the front of the queue will undergo entry processing by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. (Jon Michael Rasch/Fox News Digital)
Several Japanese lawmakers reacted to Biden’s comments on social media, expressing confusion or doubt about the president’s attitude.
“Immigration is also an issue that European leaders are grappling with. So far, no country has solved it,” said House of Representatives member Mizuho Umemura, a member of the conservative Japan Restoration Party.
He continued: “I hope President Biden will solve the problem in New York before saying such a thing. Depending on the presidential election, the policy may change 180 degrees, and there is no need for Japan to follow suit.”
Sohei Kamiya, a member of the Senate and leader of the right-wing populist Sansei Party, was more direct, writing that the United States’ “failure” on immigration had led to Japan’s hesitancy to take a similar approach.
“It’s not that we’re xenophobic, but we’ve become cautious after seeing your failure,” Kamiya said. “You interfere too much in our internal affairs.”
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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (left) and U.S. President Joe Biden hold a press conference during their state visit in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Yuri Gripas/Abaka/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
John Kirby, the National Security Council’s strategic communications coordinator, defended Biden’s comments at a news conference Thursday.
“Look, I think the president made a broader point that I think people around the world recognize, which is that America is a nation of immigrants and that’s in our DNA,” Kirby told reporters. “We’ve become as a result of that. Stronger. That’s the broader point he made.”
Asked why the president singled out two allies to make that point, Kirby demurred, stressing that Biden intended to praise the United States, not denigrate Japan or India.
“Again, to make 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. “Honestly, you don’t have to look very far to see that borne out in what we’re doing in the Indo-Pacific with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines.”
