It has been noted that the Japanese embassy on Friday refuted President Joe Biden’s recent remarks that labeled Japan alongside three other countries as “xenophobic,” calling the president’s remarks “unfortunate” via The Epoch Times.
At a Washington fundraising event on May 1, President Biden grouped U.S. allies Japan and India with U.S. adversaries China and Russia, stating that their economic challenges arise from their refusal to accept immigrants.
“Look, think about it. Why is China stalling so badly economically? Why is Japan having trouble? Why is Russia? Why is India? Because they’re xenophobic. They don’t want immigrants,” he added.
“You know, one of the reasons why our economy is growing is because of you and many others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants,” the U.S. leader remarked at the event.
The Japanese embassy has refuted his comments, saying that it was “unfortunate that some of the comments were not based on an accurate understanding of Japan’s policies,” Politico reported.
“We have raised this point to the U.S. government and explained Japan’s positions and policies once again,” the embassy told the news outlet.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre later clarified that the president intended to convey a broader message that the United States is “a nation of immigrants.”
“We are stronger for it because of the fact that in our DNA we are a nation of immigrants,” Ms. Jean-Pierre told reporters, adding that she believes “most leaders and allies across the globe” would understand the broader case behind President Biden’s remarks.
His remarks came after a month when Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made an official visit to Washington in early April, during which the leaders discussed deepening cooperation between their countries in defense and security, and other sectors.
