Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is projecting himself as a pragmatic leader whose diplomatic decisions can be unconventional.
Kishida used his attendance at a Group of Seven summit in southern Germany to show that the hardening of Japan's stance on Russia is real, and that Tokyo is firmly aligned with the rich club in adding sanctions to pressure Moscow to end its war in Ukraine.
In a symbolic move, he then traveled to Spain as the first Japanese leader to participate in a summit of NATO, which provides collective defense for its members, sending a message to Russia — and an increasingly assertive China — that their behavior will be watched.