Key facts

• Anthony Albanese is under fire after joking about Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi’s “royal melon” gift.
• During the same podcast, he made a hand gesture and said Takaichi had “two beautiful melons.”
• Former Japanese ambassador Shingo Yamagami called the remarks “sexist” and “ungracious.”
• Australian opposition leader Angus Taylor said the comments were “insulting” and demanded a personal apology.
• Albanese’s office rejected the criticisms, saying the assertion was wrong.
• The controversy follows an earlier apology for a comment about Kylie Minogue on the same recording.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is facing renewed pressure after a podcast recording surfaced in which he made a sexually suggestive joke about Japan’s first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi. The exchange, recorded for the Bush Deep podcast with host Nikki Osborne, took place weeks before an earlier apology for a separate comment about Australian pop icon Kylie Minogue. Now, what was meant to be a lighthearted story about a diplomatic gift has become an international controversy over gender, manners, and the standards expected of political leaders.

During the conversation, Albanese was asked about the most useless gift he had received in office. He told a story about Takaichi, who made history as Japan’s first female Prime Minister. He described how she had brought a “royal melon” – a reference to the high-end Japanese cantaloupe varieties often given as prestigious gifts. Host Nikki Osborne interjected: “Did she smuggle it into the country?” Albanese replied, while holding both hands in front of his chest, “Got a couple melons!”

The visual gesture, reproduced as still images in Australian media, was considered by some to be crude. The conversation continued with Osborne comparing Takaichi’s appearance to that of Pamela Anderson. Albanese then added: “She brought two. And they’re beautiful.”

Diplomatic reaction

Criticism came first from Shingo Yamagami, who served as Japan’s ambassador to Australia. In a column published on Monday, he wrote that the comments were “sexist” and “ungracious.” He stressed that Takaichi, as a visiting head of government, would not have expected such mockery from the leader of a close partner nation. “The last thing she expected was to be so casually mocked by the trusted leader of Japan's special strategic partner,” Yamagami wrote. He added: “However lighthearted it was intended to be, the recent joke delivered by PM Anthony Albanese at the expense of Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi is how he might be remembered by Japanese who most value the friendship with Australia.”

The column was widely shared and amplified by Japanese commentators. Some expressed disappointment that the prime minister of a country that Japan regards as a key security ally would treat a female leader with such levity. Others in Japan’s political circles called for the Australian government to clarify its position, though Japanese officials did not issue an immediate formal response.

Domestic political fallout

In Canberra, opposition politicians seized on the remarks. Leader of the opposition Angus Taylor said during a press conference that the comments were beneath the office of Prime Minister. “The comments were beneath the office of Prime Minister. They were insulting, and the Prime Minister should make a personal apology,” Taylor said. He also accused Labor of double standards, saying that if a conservative leader had made such remarks, Labor would have demanded their resignation. “The hypocrisy of Labor and the prime minister on this topic knows no bounds, no bounds whatsoever,” he said.

Other opposition figures described the comments as “grubby” and “inappropriate,” reflecting the view that the country’s leader should exercise greater care in his public remarks. The Albanese government’s office responded with only a brief statement: “This assertion is wrong.” The office did not provide further explanation or indicate whether the prime minister would offer a direct apology to the Japanese prime minister.

Background and political context

Albanese became leader of the Australian Labor Party in 2019 and led the party to a narrow victory in the 2022 federal election. His government has governed with an agenda of cost-of-living relief, energy transition, and foreign policy deepening Australia’s alignment with its Indo-Pacific allies. Relations with Japan have been a consistent priority, with regular trade, investment, and security cooperation between the two countries.

The controversy arrives at an awkward moment. The next federal election is scheduled for 2028, and recent opinion polls have shown Labor holding a slim lead over both the populist far-right One Nation party and the

Source: Daily Mirror News