Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been branded "grubby" over an "appalling" joke about a fruity gift from his Japanese counterpart.
Mr Albanese said on a podcast about the worst gift he received from a foreign leader, recalling a time when he received a present that was "pretty strange but ended up being quite good".
He said Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gifted him with two crown melons, a prized luxury fruit in the east Asian country, during a state visit to Australia.
The Labour Party leader joked, saying Ms Takaichi had brought "a couple of melons... as you do", while mimicking a gesture the podcast's host, Nikki Osborne, made.
The host also joked Japan's Prime Minister "came in looking like Pamela Anderson".
Published in July, the podcast episode has sparked controversy, with Mr Albanese already having to apologise to Kylie Minogue over his "s**g, marry, date" comments.
During the podcast, Ms Osborne asked him if he would "s**g, marry, date" the Australian singer, Nicole Kidman and Rhonda Burchmore.
Initially trying to sidestep the question, declaring he had only been married to his wife, Jodie Haydon, for six months, he eventually conceded and said: "Oh, Kylie, clearly.
"All of the above. She's terrific."
The Australian Prime Minister has come under fresh scrutiny after the former Australian ambassador to Japan, Shingo Yamagami, condemned Mr Albanese's comments in an opinion piece.
He said the comments about his Prime Minister's gift were "not only ungracious" but let down "the close bonds of our two nations".
Mr Yamagami wrote in the Australian: "It is a time for toiling and not for crude jokes at another's expense.
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"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."
Also in his attack, he called the gestures made by Mr Albanese as "appalling", pointing out how Mr Albanese failed to pay proper respect to the gift.
The crown melon in Japan can cost as much as £200, cultivated using a strict "one vine, one fruit" method.
Mr Yamagami said: "A crown melon is the most prized fruit in Japan and treasured as something special."
Also weighing in was Australia's opposition leader Angus Taylor, calling the comments "insulting".
The leader of the Liberal Party said: "They were insulting and the Prime Minister should make a personal apology."
While Mr Albanese is yet to respond to the fresh criticism, members of his cabinet have rushed to his defence.
Social services minister Tanya Plibersek said: "Japan is a very important strategic and economic partner... and I think the former ambassador is wrong in his interpretation."
Health Minister Mark Butler also said Mr Albanese "feels the deepest respect" for Australia's relationship with Japan.
He said on the relationship: "It’s very close. It involves constant communication between our two countries, two at the highest level.
"I know Prime Minister Albanese feels the deepest respect for that relationship."
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