Japan PM braves durian, pungent tropical fruit

Japan PM braves durian, pungent tropical fruit

Reuters Jakarta

Oh, the trials of being a leader.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had the ultimate in Southeast Asian experiences on Sunday when he sampled durian, a tropical fruit known for its pungent aroma, for the first time.

Koizumi, in Indonesia on the final stages of a whirlwind Southeast Asian tour, ate the fruit -- a present from Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whom he met on Friday -- at a Jakarta hotel.

"The smell is not so strong," Koizumi told reporters. "It's not as it has been said.

Durians, which have a green spiky skin, are notorious for their strong aroma and often described as "smelling like hell but tasting like heaven."

During chats with Thaksin and other leaders at last fall's summit of Southeast Asian nations plus Japan, China, and South Korea in Brunei, Koizumi apparently confessed that he had never been able to eat durian because it smelled so bad.

Thaksin presented Koizumi with the durian during their meeting in Bangkok, reportedly telling him that "not all durians smell that bad."

In what may have been a bit of diplomatic exaggeration, Koizumi described the flavor of the durian as "sweet."

"This is better than high-quality ice cream," he said.

Koizumi now heads to Singapore, the final stop on his six-day, five-nation Southeast Asian tour.