WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Anthony Albanese compared Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's breasts to Pamela Anderson's.
OUR VERDICT
False. A podcast host made the comparison while interviewing Mr Albanese.
AAP FACTCHECK - Anthony Albanese is being criticised for comparing the Japanese prime minister's breasts to Pamela Anderson's during a podcast interview, but the quote is misattributed.
Podcast host Nikki Osborne made the comparison while joking about the Japanese leader Sanae Takaichi smuggling two melons into Australia.
The prime minister did speak about his Japanese counterpart giving him two melons as a gift, but he never mentioned the Canadian-American actor and model.
Mr Albanese made the comments in the same controversial podcast on YouTube where he said "all of the above" when asked if he would "shag, marry or date" Kylie Minogue.
The prime minister later issued an apology for those comments.
However, a widely shared Facebook post claims Mr Albanese compared Ms Takaichi's breasts to Ms Anderson's.
"Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also made a shameless comment about the Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's breasts, referring to them as 'couple of Melons,... like Pamela Andersons'," the caption reads.
"Seems we have a vulgar Pervert as a PM ??"
The prime minister did speak about Ms Takaichi during an exchange about the worst gift he'd received on an overseas trip (timestamp two minutes 38 seconds).
Mr Albanese said one "pretty strange" gift he'd been given was a melon from the Japanese PM during her visit to Australia in May 2026.
Ms Osborne responded by asking him how the Japanese leader got the fruit into Australia.
"Did she smuggle it?" the podcast host asked while making breast-cupping gestures.
"I don't know, I got a couple of melons," Mr Albanese replied, while smiling and making hand gestures in front of his chest.
Ms Osborne then jokingly replied: "She brought two. She just came in looking like Pamela Anderson."
"She brought two, and they're beautiful," Mr Albanese said.
The Facebook post that made the false claim included a link to a Sky News article about the PM's interview.
However, it states that Ms Osborne joked that the Japanese leader's bust looked like Ms Anderson's.
Regardless, Mr Albanese's comments about Ms Takaichi's melons have been criticised by Liberal senator Sarah Henderson on X.
"Mr Albanese needs to apologise to all women caught up in his crude locker room talk, including the Japanese prime minister," Senator Henderson said (timestamp 44 seconds).
Australia lifted import restrictions on Japanese melons in January 2026, and Ms Takaichi gifted a crown melon to Mr Albanese in May 2026 to mark the milestone, according to the Japanese prime minister's website.
Crown melons are regarded as a luxury fruit in Japan, sometimes selling for thousands of dollars, and are often given as gifts.
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