Japan upset over Biden’s ‘xenophobia’ claim – media — RT World News
Tokyo rebuked the US president for his comments, saying she lacked a “accurate understanding” of the country
Japan responded to US President Joe Biden's claims that Tokyo's economic problems stem from national xenophobia, attributing his comments to a lack of knowledge, Jiji News reported.
Speaking at a fundraiser in Washington on Wednesday, Biden said the United States has been able to maintain its economic growth by embracing immigration. Why is China procrastinating so badly economically? Why is Japan having a problem? Why Russia? Why India? Because they are xenophobic. “They don’t want immigrants.” He said.
Biden's comments came several weeks after he praised the close relationship with Japan, a key US ally in the Indo-Pacific region.
The White House sought to downplay the controversy, with National Security spokesman John Kirby saying the president wanted to make a point about American immigrants. “DNA,” And do not insult other countries. He added that US partners are well aware that Biden values their friendship and cooperation.
According to Jiji News Agency, the Japanese government filed a protest with the US government, saying: “It is unfortunate that his comments were not based on an accurate understanding of Japan's policies.”
Only 2.29% of Japan's population is of foreign origin, and the country has recently slid into a recession caused by a slowdown in business and consumer spending.
India also rejected Biden's comments, with External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar claiming: “Not only are we actually xenophobic, we are in many ways the most open, pluralistic, and most understanding society in the world.” He noted that India showed strong annual growth in GDP of 7%, while the US economy gained only 2.5% last year.
Russia – which has several million foreign citizens and relies on migrant labor in several sectors of the economy – also responded to the criticism.
“Is it Russia that sometimes imposes gang-like restrictions on companies, guided only by citizenship criteria?” Biden, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, said “xenophobia” note “It reflects the exact opposite reality.”
Biden's immigration policies have been the focus of heated public debate, with Republicans accusing the White House of failing to stem the flow of illegal arrivals at the southern border.
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