Australia PM under fire for remarks on Japanese counterpart's melon gifts
An ex-Japanese envoy said the "sexist" comments "betrayed the close bond" between the countries.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is facing criticism over remarks he made about melons gifted to him by his Japanese counterpart, Sanae Takaichi. During an appearance on the Bush Deep podcast, Albanese described the melons as "pretty strange" gifts that ended up being quite good. This comment came in the wake of similarly inappropriate remarks he made about popstar Kylie Minogue.
Opposition leaders are now demanding Albanese apologize to Takaichi, but Albanese maintains that the host made the joke, not him. Takaichi's team presented the melons during her visit to Australia in May. Former Japanese ambassador to Canberra Shingo Yamagami called Albanese's comments a "sexist joke" and accused him of betraying the close bond between Japan and Australia. Yamagami emphasized that the melons are highly prized in Japan and that no one should mock them.
Written by urgent.news from BBC World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
