Yoshimasa Hayashi
16:09 JST, May 7, 2024
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan has described as “regrettable” U.S. President Joe Biden’s comment that “xenophobia” is stifling the Asian country’s economic growth, the government’s top spokesman said on Tuesday.
Last week, Biden said “xenophobia” in economies from China to Japan to India was hampering their growth, while arguing at a fundraising event in Washington that migration has been good for the US economy.
We have protested to the United States that the comment was not based on the correct understanding of Japanese policy and that this is regrettable, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a regular news conference, without elaborating.
However, Hayashi was quick to add that Japan’s ties with its security ally, the United States, are stronger than ever, and Tokyo will strive to make them even stronger.
One of the reasons our economy is growing is thanks to you and many others. Why? Because we welcome immigrants. Biden had told the event to raise money for his 2024 re-election campaign.
Why is China stagnating so badly economically, why is Japan having problems, why is Russia, why is India, because they are xenophobic. They don’t want immigrants. Immigrants are what makes us strong.
Japan, which prides itself on its homogeneity, has long been cautious about immigration, although falling birth rates and a rapidly aging population point to an acute labor shortage in the coming decades.
Asked in a Newsweek interview published last week whether he was interested in encouraging immigration to stem population decline, Kishida said Japan should consider inviting skilled workers but ruled out a full-fledged immigration program.
Inviting highly skilled and motivated employees to Japan to provide support to Japanese society is what we would like to make possible, Kishida said.
There are still those in Japanese society who resist the idea of continued, indefinite immigration of workers from abroad.
