Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's loss of public support over several scandals involving Cabinet members is likely undermining his diplomatic clout on the world stage, pundits said.
Kishida, who has pitched himself at home as having a major hand in world affairs, intensified his diplomatic efforts in 2023, including hosting a Group of Seven summit in May in his home constituency of Hiroshima, which was devastated by a U.S. atomic bomb in 1945.
But as Kishida presided over a special summit with ASEAN leaders in Tokyo on Sunday, he found his last significant diplomatic event of the year overshadowed by news of a political fund scandal within his ruling Liberal Democratic Party that has eroded his leadership further.