Coalition calls on Albanese to apologise to Japan's PM over melon gesture

Taylor demands Albanese apologise to Japan PM Sanae Takaichi over melon gesture In short: Anthony Albanese is facing backlash over a gesture involving two melons, amid claims it was in reference to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's body. The opposition has called for Mr Albanese to apologise, with cabinet ministers once again defending his track record. What's next? It remains unclear if the prime minister will publicly apologise, with his team issuing a statement to a limited number of outlets. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is facing pressure to apologise to his Japanese counterpart over a gesture he made about two melons she gifted him, which his office insists was not a crude joke. In an interview last month, Mr Albanese gestured to his chest when recalling the melons during an exchange with Bush Deep podcast host Nikki Osborne, who asked how the fruit had been smuggled into the country. The incident resurfaced this morning after former Australian ambassador Shingo Yamagami criticised the exchange in The Australian, labelling it "insulting", ignorant and a betrayal of the "close relationship" between Australia and Japan. The former Ambassador suggested Mr Albanese was making a quip about Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's body, but a spokesperson for Mr Albanese told The Australian, "this assertion is wrong". The comment has not been supplied to the ABC despite multiple requests. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said it was beneath the office of the prime minister, and demanded Mr Albanese apologise. "They were insulting, and the prime minister should make a personal apology. He's done it through a statement. I mean, the hypocrisy of Labor and the foreign minister on this topic," Mr Taylor said. The gaffe occurred during the same podcast that landed Mr Albanese in hot water when he said he would shag Kylie Minogue during a game of "shag, marry, date". He later apologised for those comments. While Mr Albanese was condemned by several female parliamentarians at the time, including Shadow Communications Minister Sarah Henderson, the main focus was on Minogue and not Ms Takaichi. Liberal Deputy Leader Jane Hume added to the criticism, calling the comments "grubby" and "inappropriate". Labor ministers defend PM Senior cabinet ministers have again been forced to defend Mr Albanese's appearance on the podcast. Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek today deflected criticisms and disagreed with Mr Yamagami's interpretation. "We have an excellent relationship with Japan. Japan is a very important strategic and economic partner … and I think the former ambassador is wrong in his interpretation," she told Sunrise. Health Minister Mark Butler reiterated Australia's strong economic and security ties with Japan. "It's very close. It involves constant communication between our two countries, two at the highest level. I know Prime Minister Albanese feels the deepest respect for that relationship," he told reporters. The federal Transport Minister Catherine King argued the comments were being blown up by the opposition. Comments 'unfortunate' but not Japan's primary concern While officials may have winced in private, nobody in the Japanese government has publicly commented about Mr Albanese's gaffe. Ms Takaichi's first visit in May solidified Australia's place as a critical energy partner for Japan, and an increasingly important security partner as well. When the episode first came out, officials in the Japanese government told the ABC they were not focused on the exchange and that Tokyo would not comment on a minor episode, particularly given the scale of cooperation between the two countries. The episode has also drawn little attention so far in the Japanese press, aside from one scathing opinion piece in the English-language Japan Times which lambasted Mr Albanese and accused him of rank sexism. But one member of the Australian business community with close links to Japan said the exchange "had absolutely not gone unnoticed" among Japanese elites, even if they were publicly silent about it. In his criticism, Mr Yamagami pointed out that Ms Takaichi has already copped sexist and derogatory attacks from Chinese state media, but it was not expected from Japan's strategic partner. Innuendo aside, the former diplomat also highlights that Mr Albanese's comments ignore the cultural significance of crown melons, which are intensely cultivated luxury fruits in Japan. In the face of an "increasingly dangerous" geopolitical climate, he urged the prime minister to show greater focus. "So, prime minister, please enjoy Japan's sweet and juicy melons without thinking about a woman's anatomy, and instead focus on what our two countries must do together," he said. Mr Yamagami had a fraught relationship with Labor when he was in Canberra and was particularly angry when Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged him, while she was still in opposition, to pull back his public criticisms of China.