With Pyongyang's planned rocket launch looming over East Asian, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda had the perfect opportunity at this week's global nuclear summit in Seoul to raise Japan's presence in dealing with North Korea.
But Noda missed out on the chance as he arrived in Seoul only on Monday evening, skipping a working dinner that officially kicked off the two-day Nuclear Security Summit, and barely engaged in substantive bilateral talks.
"It was a very tight schedule, but I believe I was able to fully communicate" with the other leaders about urging North Korea to refrain from launching a rocket, Noda told reporters before heading back to Tokyo on Tuesday afternoon after his 18-hour stay in the South Korean capital. He did not wait until the summit wrapped up.