Albanese’s sexist scandal explodes as Japan savages him and Labor rushes to cover it up

We've learned today that no, the prime minister has not got away with his unbelievably sexist mockery of Japan's prime minister.And now Anthony Albanese is lying about it.One of his ministers as well, which I'm about to prove.Now, as you know, I said from the start that the media was missing the real scandal about Albanese's disastrously flirty interview last month with comedian Nikki Osbourne.All the headlines were, maybe it's natural, about this particularly boorish bit of it.

Every guest gets asked these.Shag.Marry.Date.Kylie Minogue.Nicole Kidman.

Or Rhonda Birchmore.

I've just got married.I'm only six months in.

But if it goes tits up, let's just pretend.

Oh, Kylie, clearly.

You'd marry Kylie.And shag her.And date her.

All of the above.

I still fail to comprehend how that could have happened.I mean, which Prime Minister would ever have said something so demeaning of the office and such an insult to his own wife?But as I said, from the start, and I said it again last week, for Australians, for our nation, the real scandal was what Albanese went on to say in that same ridiculous interview about Japan's prime minister.And boy, has that bitten him today in the backside.Now let me outline it again, what he said, because it really is hard to comprehend without seeing it, that the Australian prime minister could actually act like, well, Like such a sexist.Last May, Japan's Prime Minister, Sanae Takahichi, came to Australia and gave Albanese the gift of a crown melon.

Now, that's a melon that's so prized that it's presented in ceremonies in Japan, presented even to the emperor.But Albanese then turned the ceremonial present into a dirty joke to impress a pretty young blogger namedOsborne.

The Japanese prime minister brought a melon.

Did she smuggle it?

I don't know.

Oh, I'm expecting.

Got a couple of melons.

She brought two.

She brought two, as you do.

Now today, Japan's former ambassador to Australia, Shingo Yamagami, who's been an informal advisor to Prime Minister Takeishi, blasted Albanese for being so crass and offensive.writing first that it is appalling to note Albanese's ignorance about what this gift means, although Albanese recalled it as quite strange.A crown melon is the most prized fruit in Japan and treasured as something special.And then the former ambassador attacked Albanese's sexism, saying Takeuchi had put up with a lot of sexist attacks before.But the last thing she expected was to be so casually mocked by the trusted leader of Japan's special strategic partner.And it went on, 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.

Now, this savage criticism follows a Japan Times article I talked about last week by journalist Waka Ikeda, saying a woman may run the world's fourth largest economy, stare down Beijing's threats and still be reduced by an allied Prime Minister to two melons on a podcast.The joke was beneath him and beneath Australia.Well, the attack from the ambassador today, the former ambassador, has finally forced the Albanese government to respond to what Albanese did two months ago in two ways.First, by lying.Albanese spokesman, herself a woman, had the hide to claim that no,Albanese had not turned Japan's Prime Minister into a sexist joke, saying this assertion is wrong.

And Social Services Minister Tania Plibersek, a supposed feminist, repeated that lie this morning.

I completely disagree with that interpretation of what the Prime Minister was saying.I completely disagree.Japan is a very important strategic and economic partner.It was a very successful visit.And I think the former ambassador is wrong in his interpretation.

How stupid do Albanese and Plebiscite think you are?Now, of course, Albanese was referring to Takeuchi's breasts.A statement from the Japanese Prime Minister's office at the time when she gave the gift said, yes, Takeuchi gave him just one crown melon.Although other reports seem to differ, but they refer to one crown melon.But Albanese seems to have turned that one melon into two, to make a better joke about two breasts.Even jiggled his hands over his chest after Osborne referred to big -breasted actress Pamela Anderson and leered back like a Prime Minister Benny Hill.

The Japanese Prime Minister brought a melon.Got a couple of melons.Got a couple of melons.She brought two, as you do.

So why the lies?Why are Labour's supposed feminists, by the way, who'd be so quick to smear the Liberals as sexist, now covering up for a real sexist in the Lodge.But Albanese also responded today, this is interesting, by releasing a diplomatic cable sent to him four weeks ago by the Japanese government, noting what it called sensationalized reporting of the incident.and saying Japan did not think there was ill intention to Albanese's joke and it would take no action.That's rather classy, I think.It even said that Albanese had liked the melon so much that Japan had given him two more.

But the point is Japan had to assure our Prime Minister it would not punish Australia for his stupid joke.Now, that in itself is so embarrassing.That Albanese only released that assurance now, today, four weeks later, to minimise the damage done by the former ambassador's attack today.And finally, the opposition sees this for the scandal it is, and today was making noise.

The comments were beneath the office of Prime Minister.They were insulting and the Prime Minister should make a personal apology.He's done it through a statement.I mean, the hypocrisy of Labor and the Prime Minister on this topic knows no bounds.

I think that those comments have been roundly condemned.I mean, they were grubby.They were inappropriate.And if you offend a woman, you should apologise to that woman.You should apologise personally, not in a statement.I think that the Prime Minister owes the Prime Minister of Japan a personal apology.

But I come back to the thing that stunned me from the start.Now, how could we have a prime minister who can be so crass and crude and sexist?Was it the whiskey he was drinking during the interview?Was it because of the young woman he was trying to impress?Why the sexism?And now, why the lies?

And what will the government now do to fix the damage?