Is Japan ‘xenophobic’? Biden’s remarks spark anger, debate over cultural differences

Many Japanese expressed outrage over the US president labelling their country as xenophobic alongside China and India

Academics said his use of the term was unfair given Japan’s unique cultural and historical context

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Shoppers walk through the main street of Ginza, Tokyo’s luxury shopping district. Japan’s largely homogenous population does not make the country xenophobic, an analyst says. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 8:41pm, 3 May 2024Updated: 11:48am, 4 May 2024

Comments made by US President Joe Biden in which he described Japan as “xenophobic” have caused an uproar among the Japanese, with some saying he was “wrong” to use the term, while others argued that accepting more foreigners might mean ending up like “Israel and Palestine”.

Academics in Japan expressed mixed feelings about the label, with some acknowledging there was resistance to large-scale immigration – the context in which Biden made the remark – but contending that such a stance does not equate with a “loaded, negative term” like xenophobia, given Japan’s unique cultural context and history.

Biden made the comment at a fundraising event in Washington on Wednesday as he appealed to Asian-American voters to support his campaign to return to the White House in November’s election.

“One of the reasons why our economy is growing is because of you and many others,” the president said. “Why? Because we welcome immigrants.”

US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House last month. Photo: AFP

In an apparently unscripted comment, Biden then added, “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.”

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