Biden Calls US Ally “Xenophobic”

(RepublicanJournal.org) – President Joe Biden has been hitting the campaign trail hard, visiting various cities around the US to spread his message and raise money. However, he’s known for his gaffes, and he made quite a controversial statement at a recent stop.

Speaking about the virtues of immigration on Wednesday, May 1, Biden said this year’s election is about “freedom, America and democracy.” He said one of the main reasons the US economy is so successful is that the country welcomes immigrants. He then turned the conversation to other countries, including India and China, saying they aren’t doing as well as America because they’re “xenophobic.” However, in that statement, he also included one of the country’s biggest allies — Japan.

Essentially, Biden said that not being open to immigration is hurting their economies. “They don’t want immigrants. Immigrants are what makes us strong. Not a joke.” National Security Council communications adviser John Kirby elaborated on Biden’s statements, expanding that the president was making the point that the US “is a nation of immigrants and it’s in our DNA. We’re better for it.”

The data does show that Japan’s immigration rates are low and continue to decline year over year. In 2021, it was 0.534 per 1000 people, which was 1.84% lower than 2020. In 2022, rates dropped even lower, to 0.525 per 1000, a 1.69% decline. That went down even more, 1.71% in 2023, and so far in 2024, it’s a 5.23% drop from last year.

However, Bloomberg expanded on Japan’s immigration, particularly in the case of foreign workers. It noted that the country is quietly expanding its immigration numbers, being cautious of citizens who frown upon it. In fact, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently expanded the visas for foreign workers and their families from two industries — shipbuilding and construction — to 11 total. He acknowledged this in a July 2023 speech, saying Japan needs “to consider a society where we coexist with foreigners.”

Japan has yet to comment on Biden’s statements.