Kenny hails trust between nations then takes leap of faith with toxic blowfish

Building business relationships in Japan, as the Taoiseach said in numerous speeches yesterday, is a process that takes time, trust and the patience to earn the respect of the other.

But just minutes after he hailed “the trust between both countries” his words were put to the test, when the Japanese prime minister offered Enda Kenny the most poisonous, edible species of fish in the world.

Shinzo Abe hosted a business dinner in honour of the Taoiseach at his residence last night, during Mr Kenny’s visit to Tokyo as part of a trade mission.