Japan’s defence minister, Shinjiro Koizumi, will fly to Canberra this week for talks with Australia’s defence minister and deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, in what stands as the most senior bilateral engagement since the melon gift controversy involving Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
The two ministers are scheduled to meet on Tuesday, with the agenda centred on Australia’s planned purchase of Japan’s Mogami-class frigates and broader defence cooperation.
Koizumi, widely viewed as a future contender for Japan’s top job, is the son of former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, who led the country from 2001 to 2006. His visit comes barely a week after Albanese sought to defuse an uproar over his comments about a pair of melons presented by Takaichi during her visit to Canberra earlier this year.
While appearing on the Bush Deep podcast, released last month, Albanese made hand gestures in front of his chest while recounting the gift, saying “she brought two, as you do.” Host Nikki Osborne responded with a joke: “She came in looking like Pamela Anderson.”
Facing a barrage of criticism from opposition figures and in the media, Albanese has repeatedly insisted his gestures and the comment were misinterpreted and carried no innuendo about breasts. The opposition accused him of jeopardising ties with one of Australia’s most important Asian partners.
The comments, which initially drew little attention, soon sparked strong criticism, including from a former Japanese envoy to Australia. Japan’s government stayed silent publicly until Wednesday, when ambassador Kazuhiro Suzuki issued a statement that suggested Tokyo was keen to avoid a diplomatic incident and did not raise any further issue with Albanese’s conduct.
Suzuki noted that Takaichi had visited Australia in May, shortly before the interview, and was hosted for dinner by Albanese “in a very relaxed atmosphere, and we believe it helped build a personal trust relationship between the two leaders.”
A leaked Japanese diplomatic cable from July blamed “sensationalised reporting in the Australian media” and said Tokyo believed there was no “ill intention” in Albanese’s actions. Albanese had previously apologised separately for comments about Australian singer Kylie Minogue made during the same podcast appearance.
Marles welcomed Koizumi’s visit in a statement to Guardian Australia. “Our relationship with Japan continues to go from strength to strength, and I look forward to welcoming my good friend, minister Koizumi back to Australia this week,” he said. “Together we will progress efforts to enhance defence cooperation and support our shared commitment to regional security, building on the joint statement announced by our prime ministers in May. This includes in the areas of co-developing and co-producing defence capabilities, advanced weapons testing, enhanced training and exercises, and increased information and intelligence cooperation.”
The visit is part of a trip spanning five days that will also include India. It comes at a delicate time for Takaichi, who has faced mounting political difficulties over cost of living policies and has seen her support in opinion polls slide in recent months.
Koizumi himself drew criticism from China over the weekend for visiting the Yasukuni Shrine, a site dedicated to Japan’s war dead. Such visits by senior politicians are routinely condemned by Japan’s neighbours, including China and South Korea, as a sign of inadequate remorse for Japan’s actions during the second world war.
Australia’s Labor government agreed in August last year to acquire the Mogami-class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy. The deal, worth $10 billion over a decade, covers three frigates, with the first delivery expected in December 2029.
