“Durian diplomacy” – Japan PM Tries Durian For The 1st Time During Official Visit to M’sia & Loves It!

Durian has got to be one of the most divisive fruits in existence; you either absolutely love it or simply can’t stand it.

In fact, many have joked that the king of fruits could be turned into a biological weapon due to its strong pungent smell.

On the contrary, durian actually makes a pretty impressive diplomacy tool as seen in how it was “utilised” during the Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida’s official visit to our country recently.

During an official dinner with his Malaysian counterpart Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Dato’ Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail, the Japanese Prime Minister was served the king of fruits on a plate, marking the first time he ever tasted durian.

Several photos and a video of Kishida eating the thorny fruit were shared by the Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia, Takahashi Katsuhiko on his official X account, garnering the attention of netizens.

In the video, the Japanese Prime Minister can be seen cutting the durian flesh to a small piece using cutleries before eating it.

Throughout this, he was encouraged by Anwar to try the fruit while curiously watching how the Japanese Prime Minister would react to its taste.

As Kishida chews it, Anwar can be seen asking him what he thought of the durian’s taste.

After a few seconds of eating, the Japanese Prime Minister reacted positively, signalling that he enjoys the durian’s taste as Anwar, Wan Azizah and the others around them cheered and clapped.

You can watch the whole video here:

In the X post, Takahashi Katsuhiko dubbed the exchange between the two Prime Ministers as ‘durian diplomacy’ and called the fruit the most efficient way to get to know Malaysia.

In the replies, many Malaysians were amused at Kisihida’s reaction to eating durian for the first time.

One commenter joked that Malaysia is more than ready to export the king of fruits to Japan, while another said that the Japanese Prime Minister’s reaction was cute.

Besides that, another commenter found the sight of someone eating durian using cutleries as weird. Another commenter agreed, saying that eating a durian with your hands makes it taste 100% better.

So, what do you guys think of the video? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Also read: Thai Bus Conductor Faints & Admitted to Hospital After a Passenger Brought Durian Aboard