The ongoing United Nations General Assembly in New York has seen a new phase emerge in Japan's diplomacy, with Fumio Kishida likely taking on a larger role in representing the country on the world stage as he struggles to build a political legacy domestically.

Kishida’s packed agenda for his three-day stay in the United States reflected how his foreign policy priorities have largely remained unchanged since he assumed the premiership.

Hours after he landed in the United States on Tuesday, he took part in a multilateral meeting, co-chaired by Japan, with the aim of reviving negotiations on a treaty to ban the production of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons — known as the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty.

There, he sought to follow up on the Hiroshima Action Plan, Japan’s hotly debated official blueprint for a nuclear weapons-free world, which was adopted in May at the Group of Seven leader summit in Hiroshima — the city Kishida represents in parliament.

Nuclear disarmament has been part of his life’s work — first as a lawmaker, then as foreign minister and now as the country’s leader — but staunch resistance from nuclear states has made progress difficult.

Japan’s support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s aggression, a key plank of Tokyo’s foreign policy, featured prominently both in the prime minister’s speech to the General Assembly on Tuesday and in his remarks during a meeting of the Security Council on Wednesday.

This was mixed with other mainstays of Japan's diplomacy: pledges to strengthen multilateralism and calls to reform the U.N. Security Council, with the latter an issue of pressing importance for Tokyo’s diplomats but which has seen minimal progress in the recent decades.

The prime minister has spearheaded these diplomatic efforts personally, traveling extensively overseas in a show of Japan’s renewed push to affirm its interests abroad. So far this year, he has set foot in 20 countries, ranging from Canada to Mozambique.

In a news conference held after a Cabinet reshuffle last week, Kishida boasted about his administration’s achievements in elevating Japan's global status.

“The spirit of a new era has emerged in the past two years,” Kishida said.

While both the foreign and defense ministers have a large role in diplomacy, Kishida added, summits between heads of government or state carry a great weight in establishing good relations across the globe.

“In my long experience as foreign minister, I became keenly aware of ... the importance of top-level diplomacy,” he said. “I myself will continue to play a major role in this top-level diplomacy.”

From a successful rapprochement with South Korea and unwavering resolve in supporting Ukraine to enhancement of Japan’s role in regional bodies, Kishida can count several diplomatic achievements in his nearly two years as prime minister, although these contrast with impasses on other delicate issues, such as those related to China and North Korea.

At the same time, his domestic record looks weaker.

Household consumption is languishing, with economic recovery mostly driven by exports. The largest pay raise in 30 years nonetheless failed to keep up with relatively strong inflation. The source of funding for a promised boost in defense and social spending remains unclear, with the debate over an anticipated tax hike yet to start.

The public’s tepid reaction to the Cabinet reshuffle points to flagging popular support for the administration. As he struggles to appeal to voters with his domestic achievements, Kishida’s renewed outward-looking stance signals he might be ready to take on a larger role in foreign policy.

The removal of Yoshimasa Hayashi, a senior member of Kishida's Liberal Democratic Party faction and one of his few allies in the party, as foreign minister may further underline the prime minister's renewed interest in diplomacy.

Having returned from a visit to Ukraine on Sept. 10, Hayashi met with Kishida at the Prime Minister’s Office two days later. ​​The next day, soon-to-be top envoy Yoko Kamikawa was called into a meeting and tapped to replace Hayashi.

Kamikawa’s appointment stunned observers and political pundits in Nagatacho, the country’s political center, with many wondering about the political motive behind Kishida’s decision.

“There’s a chance that, as Kishida reshuffled his Cabinet with great consideration for the wishes of the factions, somebody might have vetoed Hayashi’s confirmation because he’s seen as a pro-China politician,” said a former diplomat who served as ambassador to a large Asian nation under the administration of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Hayashi, the former chairman of a nonpartisan group of lawmakers promoting Sino-Japanese relations, has emphasized throughout his political career the importance of dialogue with China, to the chagrin of some of his more hawkish colleagues in the LDP.

As foreign minister, he struck a balance between Japan’s economic and security interests, meeting with Chinese officials while voicing Japan’s concerns over Beijing’s growing assertiveness.

Kamikawa, a polished veteran with scant experience in foreign affairs, had for a variety of reasons long been on the radar of pundits as someone who would potentially be tapped in a Cabinet reshuffle.

First of all, her gender makes her an outlier in her own party.

With Kishida apparently looking to improve his languishing popularity by bringing female lawmakers into the Cabinet, he could only choose from a very limited pool of experienced candidates.

Despite an ambitious goal of bringing the number of female lawmakers to 30% in the next decade, women make up only 11.8% of LDP lawmakers, a figure trailing that of other parties. Among them, only a handful of them currently possess the right pedigree to assume a prominent role in the government, with Kamikawa being one of them.

Her stints at the Justice Ministry have gained her a solid reputation, while her academic and professional experience in the United States provided her with the credentials and name recognition essential for her new position.

However, at a time when personal relationships between leaders have become more important than ever, whether Kamikawa will be able to leave her own mark on Japan’s foreign policy — and not be overshadowed by Kishida — remains an open question.

"The sheer number of top-level meetings has increased recently,” said the former diplomat. “That’s because there are more and more circumstances requiring commitment from the heads of state themselves.”