After assuming the office of prime minister on Oct. 1, Shigeru Ishiba broke a number of promises he made during the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election and set up an absurdly accelerated snap election that turned into a train wreck for the party.

Once again breaking a number of commitments, he then set up a highly abbreviated special Diet session simply to get himself reelected so that he could go to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Lima and the Group of 20 in Rio de Janeiro. That came at the cost of handing the chairs of eight major committees to opposition parties. Before his snap election, they were all in the hands of the LDP.

He has now been forced to delay until next year a cybersecurity bill that was seen by many in the nation and abroad as highly critical to Japan’s national security. This delay is due to the limited time left this year to deal with the political reform bills he has promised, as well as the grilling in the Lower House Budget Committee now chaired by the opposition for the first time in 30 years. He will also need to get both a supplementary budget passed by the close of the session on Dec. 21 and the 2025 fiscal year national budget within the month of January.

So, was it all worth it for the sake of his diplomatic debut? So far, it would be hard to paint the trip as a success, with Ishiba committing a series of diplomatic faux pas.

Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba talks with Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim at the APEC summit in Lima on Friday. Ishiba was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba talks with Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim at the APEC summit in Lima on Friday. Ishiba was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event. | The Prime Minister's Office of Japan

At the APEC summit in Peru, Ishiba entirely missed the group photo of the world leaders. For reasons that are not very clear, the prime minister instead decided to pay his respects at the grave of Peru's former president, Alberto Fujimori, who passed away in September. His no-show at the family photo was later blamed on traffic congestion on his way back.

Furthermore, at APEC, he was seen sitting alone and frequently staring at his phone. If that weren’t enough, he went on to display a lack of basic manners. When other world leaders — including Justin Trudeau of Canada and Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia — approached a sitting Ishiba, the Japanese leader remained in his chair, shaking their hands from a seated position. Peruvian host President Dina Boluarte received the same treatment. This is not exactly the image of the new Japanese leader that the Foreign Ministry was hoping for.

The good news is that Ishiba did make it to the family photo at the G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro, although the bored look on his face, captured by photographers, was oddly discordant with the smiling faces of other leaders.

The biggest setback came when U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he was unable to accommodate Ishiba’s request for a quick private visit, similar to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s meeting at Trump’s home in New York. At first, it was explained that Trump was too busy organizing and setting up his new administration. A few days later, the explanation changed, with officials citing U.S. laws that prevent Trump from meeting with foreign leaders before he officially takes office.

That was somewhat belied by the fact that President Javier Milei of Argentina made a “private visit” to meet Trump in Florida last week. Trump described Milei as a person who can "Make Argentina Great Again." Perhaps he doesn't feel the same way about Ishiba.

Here’s a quick message for the new prime minister: You are representing Japan for the first time, so focus on that job and not your phone. As the nation's leader, you must present yourself in public as positive, confident and engaging with our global partners and friends while remaining firm and calm with those who wish us harm.

Perhaps you’re just now learning that being the Japanese prime minister is an incredibly tough job — physically and mentally demanding, harsh under the limelight and offering no daily breaks for personal hobbies.

You so badly wanted this job; now please get on with doing it properly. If you need an example of how to excel in the role, look no further than your one-time nemesis, the late-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Edo Naito is a commentator on Japanese politics, law and history. He is a retired international business attorney and has held board of director and executive positions at several U.S. and Japanese multinational companies.