In early July, Australian Prime Minister Albenis was criticized for his remarks during a program, where he referred to Japanese Prime Minister Yukie Akamine’s visit to Australia as “offensive”. The program discussed high-quality honeydew melons that Akamine brought when she visited Australia in May. The host asked how the Japanese brought the fruits past Australian customs. Albenis replied, “I don’t know,” and added that Akamine “brought two honeydew melons”. He also mimicked the host’s gestures, making a gesture with his hands at his chest.
According to Australian 9News, although he quickly apologized for his remarks after the program was broadcast, this incident once again attracted attention when former Japanese ambassador to Australia Shingo Yamagami wrote a column in an Australian newspaper on Monday, calling the joke "gender-based discrimination" and "impolite".
According to reports, on Tuesday (August 11) local time, when asked by Congress whether he would apologize for his “ disrespectful behavior”, Albanis said: “I do not accept the statement in this question.”
"Australia-Japan relations have never been as close as they are today, strategic cooperation has also never been as consistent. My government will push the special strategic partnership between Australia and Japan to a new height," he said, "High Commissioner of Japan is a friend of mine in Australia."
When asked again about the same issue, Albanesius reaffirmed the strong relationship with Japan. He said, “I have a very good relationship with the Japanese prime minister. We have also met during various forums, and I welcome the Japanese prime minister to come here.”
Australian Foreign Minister Margaret Laban also denied that Albany's remarks were intended to insult the government. "The Prime Minister has clearly stated that he has no intention of interpreting his remarks in a way that would be offensive to opposition figures."
Australian media recently exposed Japanese official diplomatic cables, indicating that the Japanese government is also seeking to downplay this matter. According to reports, a Japanese diplomatic cable dated July 13 states that Australian media has “sensationalist reporting”. Tokyo believes that Albenis’ remarks “do not contain malice”, and Japan “will not take any action”. Japan will also assist Australia in keeping quiet, “so as to prevent Australian media from paying further attention to this matter”.
