Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

President Obama on Tuesday hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the White House, and he used the occasion to thank the island nation for its greatest exports. No, Obama did not extol Japan's vaunted cars or technology, but rather its contributions to art and drunken office bonding experiences.

"Today is also a chance for Americans, especially our young people, to say thank you for all the things we love from Japan," Obama said. "Like karate, karaoke, manga, and anime — and of course, emojis."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.