British Prime Minister Sunak sparks a run on socks in Hiroshima

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak proudly displaying a bright red pair socks for the local Hiroshima Carp baseball team when he met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. PHOTO: AFP
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shows off his socks to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during their bilateral meeting in Hiroshima on May 18. PHOTO: AFP

HIROSHIMA – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was a hit in Japan after wearing socks for the local Hiroshima Carp baseball team in his meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. He also caused a run on the hosiery.

The limited-edition socks with the name “Carp” were flying off the shelves after Mr Sunak donned them at the Group of Seven summit that recently ended in the Japanese city. 

Mr Sunak’s socks had been under wraps until he proudly displayed a bright red pair when he met Mr Kishida, a Hiroshima native, and posed for pictures on straw tatami mats, a type of flooring upon which local custom dictates shoes should not be worn.

The woman who designed the socks told national broadcaster NHK she was stunned when she saw the British leader showing off her creation.

Two days after the summit, the socks were sold out at the speciality stores that brought them to market, it said in a Tuesday report. 

Hiroshima Carp manager Takahiro Arai said he appreciated the gesture from Mr Sunak, the local Chugoku newspaper said, quoting him as telling the British Prime Minister: “Thank you for your concern and consideration.”

The team, however has lost three of the four games it has played since the day Mr Sunak put on Carp socks. BLOOMBERG

The limited-edition socks with the name “Carp” were flying off the shelves after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak donned them at the Group of Seven summit. PHOTO: AFP

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