President Joe Biden on Wednesday called close US ally Japan “xenophobic” at a Washington, D.C., fundraiser, just weeks after lauding the US-Japan alliance at a state dinner.
The president made the remark while arguing that Japan, along with Russia and China, would perform better economically if the countries embraced immigration more.
“You know, one of the reasons why our economy is growing is because of you and many others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants,” Biden said, according to reporters traveling with the president at a fundraiser with Asian American and Pacific Islander supporters. “The reason – look, think about it. Why is China stalling so bad economically? Why is Japan having trouble? Why is Russia?”
“Because they’re xenophobic,” he said. “They don’t want immigrants. Immigrants are what makes us strong.”
Biden had similarly cast Japan, Russia and China as “xenophobic” during an interview with a Spanish language radio station in March.
“The Japanese, the Chinese, they’re xenophobic, they don’t want any – the Russians, they don’t want to have people, other than Russians, Chinese, or Japanese,” the president said at the time.
The latest critique of Japan comes less than a month after he hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a state visit.
At the state dinner held at the White House in April, Biden said Japan and the US share “the same values, the same commitment to democracy and freedom to dignity.”
“And today without question, our alliance is literally stronger than it has ever been,” Biden said during the dinner.
Japan has long experienced a demographic crisis with far-reaching consequences for the country’s workforce and economy. Japan and other East Asian nations have largely shied away from using immigration to bolster their populations.
The president’s comments also come as he’s facing political pressure at home over his own immigration policies amid strained resources to deal with an influx of migrants and sharp Republicans criticism.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Jessie Yeung contributed to this report.
