Takaichi flies in, Canberra flies blind

SMH · Matthew Knott · Tuesday 5 May 2026

Takaichi flies in, Canberra flies blind

Japan's first woman prime minister visited Australia and Canberra produced a handshake, a press release, and not much else.

Takaichi flies in, flies out, and the communiqué reads like a Christmas card from a cousin you've never met. Japan sent its first woman PM and we treated it like a stopover at Tullamarine. Hawke would have had Nakasone at Kirribilli with the prawns out. This mob managed a handshake and a hashtag.

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