Japanese diplomacy in the post-Cold War era has been mostly passive, except in a few groundbreaking areas such as participation in U.N. peacekeeping operations. One reason for this, according to a report from a foreign policy advisory group, is that the domestic political situation has remained unstable over the past decade or more. Japan has produced 11 prime ministers in the last 15 years.

Another reason is the entrenched tendency in government offices to honor tradition and protect their turf. Still another, and one that made headlines recently, relates directly to the Foreign Ministry: Over the past year or so, the ministry has been embroiled in a series of scandals, as well as internal disputes, that have eroded confidence in the foreign service.

In short, Tokyo's reactive diplomatic stance is ascribed largely to negligence on the part of both politicians and bureaucrats. The report, titled "Japan's Basic Diplomatic Strategy in the 21st Century," was submitted to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in late November. It is the work of nine experts, including former ministry bureaucrat Yukio Okamoto, now a counselor to the Cabinet secretariat. The authors held more than 30 brainstorming sessions from September 2001.