The labelling of Japan as “xenophobic” by Joe Biden was “unfortunate” and “not based on an accurate” understanding of the country, Japan’s US embassy says.

The US president said that Japan, India, China and Russia “don’t want immigrants” during a campaign fundraising event earlier this week.

The White House has said he meant no offence and was highlighting US immigration policies.

The comment, however, has drawn scorn from some US and foreign observers.

Speaking to a largely Asian-American audience on Wednesday, Mr Biden said: “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.”

The US government later clarified that his comment was meant in the context of explaining “that the US is a nation of immigrants and that immigrants make the US stronger”, and did not have “the intent of undermining” the US-Japan relationship.

Japan’s embassy said on Friday that it was “aware” of the clarification.

“It is unfortunate that some of the comments were not based on an accurate understanding of Japan’s policies,” the statement added.

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