At a recent fundraiser in Washington, D.C., President Joe Biden kicked off Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with discussions that spanned various topics, including the economy. In his speech, President Biden claimed that immigration is a significant factor contributing to the economic success of the United States compared to some other nations.

President Biden emphasized the idea that the welcoming nature of the U.S. towards immigrants is a key reason for its strong economic performance. He then lumped Japan – one of our closestes allies – in with China and Russia suggesting their economic struggles are partly due to xenophobic attitudes—reluctance or opposition to foreign people. He highlighted Japan, in particular, a long-standing ally of the U.S., suggesting its economic challenges were linked to these attitudes.

“Think about it,” he said. “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.”

Both the USA and Japan have been strengthening their security ties, especially to counter China’s growing influence. President Biden had even hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a summit and state dinner in Washington just last month. As of now, there has been no official reaction from Japan, which is largely on holiday this week.

However, experts have weighed in on the potential impact of Biden’s comments. Jeffrey Hall, a lecturer in Japanese studies, expressed concerns that such remarks might not be well received in Japan. He suggested that it could be perceived as the U.S. talking down to Japan, which might not be effective in addressing issues within Japanese society.

“It will sound like America is once again talking down to the Japanese,” Hall said, “and that’s not really an effective way of getting Japan to fix various problems with its society that even Japanese people would agree are problems.”