Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, facing low public support for his government, is seeking diplomatic measures to turn the tide ahead of leadership elections for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, likely in September.
Diplomacy is one of Kishida’s strengths, but it is still unclear whether his strategy will pay off, analysts say.
Kishida is expected to attend a NATO summit in Washington on Tuesday. Japan has been invited to the meeting as one of the security alliance’s four Asia-Pacific partners, and Kishida will attend the summit for the third year in a row.