Anthony Albanese faces backlash after joking about a gift from Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi, but rejected calls to apologise in parliament.
SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sidestepped calls to apologise on Tuesday after a clip emerged of him engaging in crude banter about a gift from his Japanese counterpart.
Albanese had already faced a backlash and apologised over comments made during an interview last month with the Bush Deep podcast in which he said he would “shag” singer Kylie Minogue.
But separate comments during that interview in which he joked about a gift from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during her visit to Australia in May drew furor this week from his political opponents.
During the conversation with host Nikki Osborne at his official residence, the Australian leader joked that he’d received a “strange” present of a Japanese royal melon from Takaichi.
In Japan, premium melons are considered luxury items and can cost more than AUS$270 ($190), according to Japan’s former ambassador to Australia.
When the host asked if she’d smuggled the fruit through Australian customs, Albanese held his hands up and said “got a couple of melons”.
“She came in looking like Pamela Anderson,” the host replied.
Australia’s opposition leader has called for Albanese to apologise over the “insulting” joke.
Asked whether he would say sorry for his “disrespectful behaviour” in parliament on Tuesday, the Australian leader said: “I reject the assertion in the question”.
“Prime Minister Takaichi is a friend of Australia and a friend of mine,” he said.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong also rejected accusations his comments were intended to be an insult.
“The prime minister has been clear that he did not mean for those comments to be interpreted in the way they have been by those opposite,” she said, referring to the opposition.
