New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern confuses Japan for China moments after landing in Tokyo

Ewan Somerville19 September 2019

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern was left red-faced after opening her first official visit to Japan by confusing the country for China.

Ms Ardern had only just landed in Tokyo when she hailed "an incredibly exciting time for New Zealand in its relationship with China".

She immediately corrected herself, saying "excuse me sorry, with Japan".

Asked about the blunder later, she blamed jet lag. “You’ll understand I’ve been on continuous travel and just this moment I stopped here."

Jacinda Ardern's blunder came as a new report shows Canada-Japan ties have cooled in recent decades
Getty Images

The slip of the tongue was particularly unfortunate as her visit coincided with the Asia New Zealand Foundation saying the country's relationship with Tokyo had "underperformed in the last few decades".

The foundation’s chief, Simon Draper, said: “Perhaps we have taken the relationship with Japan a little bit for granted.”

Ms Ardern will be hoping to warm relations with the country’s prime minister Shinzo Abe during her five-day visit, conscious that Japan is New Zealand’s fourth largest trading partner and worth £4.45 billion each year.

The pair will watch an All Blacks match in the country on Saturday as part of the Rugby World Cup.

Following her meeting with Mr Abe on Thursday, she hailed the countries as "close friends who share common values and interests”, adding: "Japan is increasingly one of New Zealand's most important partners in the world.”

Ms Ardern will later depart Japan for New York, where she will deliver a keynote speech at the UN’s climate action summit and hold her first formal meeting with Donald Trump.

She is not the first high-profile politician to make an embarrassing blunder confusing Japan and China.

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