Take note America (or should I say Democrats): Japan announced on Tuesday that they will be putting their citizens first and attending to their own country, before allowing any more refugees in.
This comes after challenges they have been facing, such as an aging population and decline in birth rates.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the U.N. General Assembly that he will still assist refugees fleeing from the Middle East and Africa by providing a $1.5 billion emergency aid. However, he added, Japan simply won't be taking any more refugees in while the country focuses on bettering itself.
Abe said, "As an issue of demography, I would say that before accepting immigrants or refugees we need to have more activities by women, by elderly people and we must raise (the) birth rate. There are many things that we should do before accepting immigrants."
He said Japan first needed to attend to domestic challenges which he proposes to tackle under a revamped economic policy that aims to boost GDP to a post-war record level, while bolstering the social security system to support families.
He added that Japan would "discharge our own responsibility" in addressing the refugee crisis, which he described as helping to improve conditions that cause the exodus.
Abe earlier told the world body that Japan would provide $810 million this year for emergency assistance of refugees and internally displaced persons from Syria and Iraq, triple what it gave last year. Abe said Japan is also preparing about $750 million for stabilization efforts in the Middle East and Africa.
Japan prides itself on being a good global citizen. It is one of the largest aid donors in the world. Last year Japan gave $181.6 million to the UNHCR, the United Nations' refugee agency, making it second only to the United States in generosity.
President Donald Trump has pushed "America First" since he was on the campaign trail and honestly, it is a great policy. We need to focus on our own people and our own issues before trying to help others. Even on a plane, when there is an issue, you are instructed to put your own oxygen mask on before assisting anyone else. Why is this? Because you cannot help another person if you run out of oxygen first.
Japan sees this. Why can't Democrats?
