Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is under fire for his comments about two melons gifted to him by Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi, which a former envoy has called an insult and a "sexist joke". The exchange occurred during an appearance on the Bush Deep podcast in July, where Albanese referred to the crown melons as "pretty strange" gifts that "ended up being quite good". Former Tokyo ambassador Shingo Yamagami criticized Albanese's comments, saying they betrayed the close bond between Japan and Australia. Opposition leaders are demanding that Albanese apologize for his remarks, but he has rejected the assertion of criticism.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is facing backlash over his comments about two melons gifted to him by Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi. During an appearance on the Bush Deep podcast, Albanese made gestures near his chest while referring to the crown melons, calling them "pretty strange" gifts that "ended up being quite good". The melons cost over 30,000 yen ($188) each, and were a gift from Takaichi's team during her visit to Australia in May. A former Japanese envoy, Shingo Yamagami, has called Albanese's comments a "sexist joke" and is demanding an apology from the Prime Minister. Albanese claims it was the host of the podcast who made the joke, not him, but opposition leaders are still calling for an apology to Takaichi.
Written for “Australian Diplomatic Incident” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article frames the Prime Minister's comments as 'inappropriate', 'foul-mouthed', and 'classless' without presenting a neutral or sympathetic account, suggesting a critical leaning. However, it also includes quotes from Labor ministers defending the PM's intentions, indicating some attempt to provide balance.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score +0.45 for article 640 · logged 2026-08-11
- Published
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is under fire for comments he made about two melons gifted to him by his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi, after a former Japanese envoy called it an insult.
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envoy → publish → it
During an appearance on the Bush Deep podcast, Albanese gestured near his chest while referring to the crown melons, calling them "pretty strange" gifts that "ended up being quite good".
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that → gesture → them
That episode, which aired in July, had already landed the PM in hot water because of "inappropriate" comments he made about popstar Kylie Minogue.
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he → air → Minogue
Opposition leaders are now demanding he apologise to Takaichi, but Albanese's position is that it was the host who made the joke, not him, the BBC understands.
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BBC → demand → joke
While discussing the melons Takaichi's team had presented to Albanese during her visit to Australia in May, the host of Bush Deep, comedian Nikki Osborne, quipped: "She brought two...
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She → discuss → two
She just came in looking like Pamela Anderson.
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She → come → Anderson
"
"She brought two, and they are beautiful," Albanese responded.
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Albanese → bring → two
The exchange, which drew relatively little interest when the episode aired, has resurfaced after Tokyo's former ambassador to Canberra Shingo Yamagami labelled Albanese's comments a "sexist joke" and said they "betrayed the close bond" between Japan and Australia.
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they → draw → Japan
"The last thing [Takaichi] expected was to be so casually mocked by the trusted leader of Japan's special strategic partner," he wrote in an opinion piece published by The Australian on Monday.
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he → expect → Monday
Crown melons are the "most prized fruit" in Japan and "treasured as something special", Yamagami added, noting that a single melon costs more than 30,000 yen ($188).
"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.
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he → treasure → what
During his two-year stint in Australia, Yamagami had a notably frosty relationship with some members of Albanese's Labor Party over disagreements regarding China.
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Yamagami → have → China
An opposition MP asked Albanese on Tuesday if he would apologise for the "foul-mouthed, classless comments about women", to which the prime minister said he "rejected the assertion of the question".
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he → ask → question
He went on: "Australia and Japan have never been closer.
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Australia → go → ?
My government has taken our special strategic partnership to new heights."
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government → take → heights
Australia's opposition leader Angus Taylor on Monday also criticised the gaffe as "insulting", and demanded that Albanese make a personal apology.
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Albanese → criticise → apology
Several Labor ministers have jumped to Albanese's defence, saying the former envoy and the media have misinterpreted his comments.
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envoy → jump → comments
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said the remarks "were not intended to be interpreted the way that our political opponents and some media outlets are reporting".
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opponents → say → ?
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek called it "a completely unnecessary interpretation of what the prime minister said".
"I think people watching it for themselves can make their own minds up," Plibersek told Australia's Channel Seven.
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Plibersek → call → Seven
Plibersek had earlier defended Albanese's controversial remarks about Minogue as nothing more than a sign that he was a fan.
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he → defend → sign
The prime minister drew a wave of condemnation early last month after Osborne asked him on the podcast whether he would "shag, marry or date" Kylie Minogue, actress Nicole Kidman or entertainer Rhonda Burchmore, to which he replied "Kylie, clearly... all of the above".
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he → draw → above
Albanese later issued a public apology, saying: "I apologise unequivocally for the comments".
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I → issue → comments
Osborne, who is best known for posting crude comedy sketches on YouTube, launched her podcast series earlier this year.
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who → know → series
Her podcast site describes her as a "wildly inappropriate journalist" who asks "questions no one else would dare".
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one → describe → questions
