Pundits came away unimpressed over the weekend by Prime Minister Naoto Kan's bilateral meetings with his Chinese and Russian counterparts and his hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Yokohama.
Although Kan sought to defuse tensions with Beijing and Moscow, critics say his administration needs to take a more proactive approach on diplomacy instead of dealing with issues as they happen.
"Diplomatic deterrence is important," said Kenichi Ito, president of the Japan Forum on International Relations, a nonprofit think tank.