Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has denied that his remark about Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's "melons" was intended to be sexual, pushing back against growing pressure to issue a formal apology. The comments, made on the "Bush Deep" podcast with comedian Nikki Osborne, have sparked controversy and drawn criticism from political opponents and former diplomats.
During the podcast interview, Albanese stated that Takaichi had brought "a couple of melons," accompanying the remark with a squeezing gesture in front of his chest. Osborne responded jokingly, "She brought two. She just came in looking like Pamela Anderson." Albanese has since apologized for other remarks made during the same interview, specifically those about singer Kylie Minogue. However, his office has issued a statement asserting that the claim of the "melons" comment being about breasts is "wrong."
Despite the denial, calls for an apology have mounted. Liberal leader Angus Taylor criticized the remarks as "insulting" and "beneath the office of prime minister," demanding a personal apology. Shingo Yamagami, Tokyo's former ambassador to Canberra, penned an opinion piece in The Australian, stating that the joke, regardless of its intended lightheartedness, could damage Albanese's standing in Japan. Yamagami noted the cultural significance of melons in Japan, where they are highly prized and can be extremely expensive.
On the television program "Sunrise," Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek attempted to refute the interpretation that Albanese's comment was about breasts, calling the former ambassador's interpretation "100 percent wrong" and "completely unnecessary." However, host Nat Barr and One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce pressed Plibersek, with Joyce arguing that the remark "demeans the office of prime minister" and has created a "massive problem" with Japan. Joyce suggested Albanese should have acknowledged it was a "stupid thing to say."
Albanese's appearance on the podcast also included a game of "shag, marry or date," where he was asked to choose between Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman, or Rhonda Burchmore. After initially attempting to defer due to being newly married, Albanese responded "Kylie, clearly" when prompted with the hypothetical scenario of his marriage failing. He added "All of the above. She's terrific" when asked if he would marry, shag, and date Minogue. Albanese did not use the word "shag" himself in the exchange. His office previously released a statement that he apologized "unequivocally for the comments."