Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is facing criticism after comments he made about two melons gifted to him by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi resurfaced from a podcast appearance in July. Speaking on the Bush Deep podcast, Albanese gestured near his chest while calling the crown melons "pretty strange" gifts that "ended up being quite good", after the host compared Takaichi's arrival to Pamela Anderson. Tokyo's former ambassador to Canberra, Shingo Yamagami, branded the remarks a "sexist joke" that "betrayed the close bond" between the two nations, prompting Australia's opposition to demand a personal apology.

Takaichi presented Albanese with the crown melons, prized in Japan and costing more than 30,000 yen (around $188) each, during her visit to Australia in May. Albanese has told the BBC it was podcast host Nikki Osborne, not him, who made the suggestive joke, and he rejected the "foul-mouthed" characterisation when questioned in parliament, insisting Australia-Japan relations "have never been closer". Several Labor ministers, including Katy Gallagher and Tanya Plibersek, have defended him, saying his words were misinterpreted, while opposition leader Angus Taylor called the episode "insulting". The row follows separate criticism of Albanese for earlier comments about singer Kylie Minogue on the same podcast.