Sod it: Taoiseach flings the dirt on final leg of Japan trip 

The day started with green tea and dumplings but ended with Irish beef as Micheál Martin turned the sod on a new €21.4m HQ in Tokyo which will support Ireland's €2.8bn exports to Japan 

Japan's prime minister Fumio Kishida and  Micheál Martin attend the Japan-Ireland Summit Meeting at the prime minister's office in Tokyo. Picture: Philip Fong / AFP / Pool/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Since the days of yore — or at least the beginning of this journalist’s career —  sod turnings have been a feature of Irish political life.

The format is usually quite similar. A politician will rock up to an empty field, see grand impressions of how a site will look, and pretend to put a shovel in the ground or throw some pre-cut dirt for the purposes of a photo opportunity.