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The First Lady of Japan might have pretended she didn't speak English to avoid talking to Donald Trump.

President Trump, who is under criminal investigation for obstruction of justice, was seated next to Akie Abe, wife of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo, at a dinner to mark the end of the G20 summit in Hamburg on July 8.

But in an interview with the New York Times, published last night, he said conversation at the dinner was not forthcoming with Mrs Abe.

Here's what Trump told the Times

(Image: AFP)

He told reporters: "So, I was seated next to the wife of Prime Minister Abe [Shinzo Abe of Japan], who I think is a terrific guy, and she’s a terrific woman, but doesn’t speak English."

Asked if it was "nothing, like zero", he replied: "Like, not “hello.”

He went on to say the evening had been "hard" because the meal went on for "probably an hour and 45 minutes."

He added: "So I’m sitting there. There was one interpreter for Japanese, ’cause otherwise it would have been even tougher. But I enjoyed the evening with her, and she’s really a lovely woman, and I enjoyed — the whole thing was good."

Later during the same dinner, Trump switched seats to sit next to Vladimir Putin, with whom he had a previously undisclosed 15-minute private chat.

The thing is though, Akie Abe does speak English.

(Image: AFP)

US Journalist Sam Thielman first spotted the discrepancy - pointing followers to this video of Mrs Abe apparently speaking very good English in a speech to the Ford Foundation.

And while it's possible Trump just assumed she didn't speak English and didn't bother to talk to her, the other explanation has made people very happy indeed.