World leaders kicked off two days of G7 talks in Japan on May 26 with the creaky global economy, terrorism, refugees, China’s controversial maritime claims, and a possible Brexit headlining their packed agenda. / AFP PHOTO /
ISE-SHIMA, Japan (AFP) — From the country that gave the world “Bieber Fever”, Canada’s “other Justin” — heartthrob Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — has made quite a splash on his visit to Japan for the G7 summit.
Japanese media and his growing legions of female fans have been swooning over the 44-year-old PM, who celebrated his 11th wedding anniversary on Wednesday by taking the day off to spend it with wife Sophie.
Social media lit up after Canada’s first couple were spotted strolling hand in hand through Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine earlier in the week like love-struck tourists, proving that even politicians have a romantic side.
Trudeau has been dubbed “ikemen shusho” — Japanese for “hunky PM” — by local media and fans, some of whom took to Twitter to post bare-chested photos of the premier, commenting on the “cool” tattoo of a raven on his left arm.
Others gleefully reposted photos that have appeared previously in the media of Trudeau boxing or in various yoga poses, with a young female fan commenting: “He looks like the actor Tom Cruise.”
Trudeau swept to power last October as Canada’s first new leader in nearly a decade.
He has already made a positive impression with other world leaders and has struck up a close rapport with American President Barack Obama, teasing him about his grey hair at a White House dinner in March.
Obama got his own back by gently ribbing Trudeau at his final White House Correspondents’ dinner recently.
While most Japanese fans cooed that Trudeau was “hot” or “gorgeous”, and another said he was “too perfect”, others praised him for using “personal funds” to stay in a traditional Japanese inn with his wife before heading to Ise-Shima for the Group of Seven summit.
An article in the Japanese tabloid Sports Daily contrasted Trudeau’s conscientious attitude to public service to that of under-fire Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe, who is embroiled in scandal after allegedly using taxpayers’ money for family vacations.
The piece also noted a backlash online, calling for Masuzoe to learn from Trudeau, with one wag commenting: “If that had been Masuzoe, he would have used public funds.”
A piece in online platform Naver noted, however, that Trudeau was not the only G7 leader to set hearts aflutter, carrying a windswept photo of Italian premier Matteo Renzi chewing on his sunglasses and gazing wistfully into the distance.
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