How well or poorly do you think Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is doing at all the international summits he has been attending recently?

No idea? For himself? For his country? For the world? He is certainly increasing his air miles.

He is VERY good at repeating and mimicking the ideas and plans of other WESTERN leaders. I eagerly await the day that Japan has an original idea for global strategies and international relations instead of waiting on others to come up with them. I also await a charamatic leader who is NOT crazy like Hashimoto and who us actually progressive and forward thinking. Too much of Japanese politics can be summed up as zombies going through the empty headed motions. Not a new idea in the past 40 years.

Who?

He stinks.

I think he does OK overseas. At least he has improved the visibility of Japanese PMs. Even my relatives in Australia know who the PM of Japan is, and they never did before.

I also think he does a good job as Japan's No. 1 salesman on trade-related deals.

Where he tends to get into trouble is wanting Japan to have a higher profile in issues (such as fighting Islamic State) that it cannot do. I think he also tends to make promises or imply that Japan will do certain things, in bilateral talks with other leaders, that appear vague and that he then has trouble explaining once he gets back home.

Not very well, mostly hot air contributing to global warming, try to be relevant, but not succeeding, throwing around big $$$ figures that have little meaning, again mostly hot air

Some Other World Leader: PM Abe, what are your thoughts on the matter?

Abe: (tilts head, sucks through his teeth) muzukashii na!

He is VERY good at repeating and mimicking the ideas and plans of other WESTERN leaders.

Precisely. He is nothing but an empty suit, so therefore a perfect representative of Japan Inc.

He has achieved nothing! All he does is, polish other leader's apples! I distinctly remember his visit to Australia when Abbott (spit!) was prime minister. All they did was, polish each other's apples and achieved nothing! Abe is the longest serving prime minister in Japan for nearly twenty years and he is the second worst, only to Noda.

For its country, bad. For American interests, very well!

Coverage in Japanese press is moderate, mainly official briefs via the 'Kisha Club' but he does not appear to gather many column inches in the overseas reports of summits conferences.

The man is utterly ignored in all overseas media. He is an irrelevance on the international stage at this point.

When his policies make Japan a victim of terrorism, however, we can expect all media outlets to switch into immediate hagiography mode, as they did with captain Helmet Hollande.

The man is utterly ignored in all overseas media.

When you say "overseas", what do you mean by "overseas"? I'm only curious.

Alex - I use the word "overseas" in its conventional sense. I'm sure you can figure it out. Media not run by the Kisha Club. With a realistic perspective of relative importance.

I'm sure you can figure it out.

Do you mean all the rest of the world? Only America? America and Europe? China? Russia?

When you say "overseas", what do you mean by "overseas"? I'm only curious.

Point of logic. All media worldwide that is non-Japanese would qualify as overseas media. Remember: Japan is an island.

Well, if this is the case, I disagree partially. I doubt Chinese and Korean newspapers ignore Abe so much...

Japan need a strong and genius leader to actually LEAD Japan to the Greatness. Dat man is no other than the great Donald Trump!

Welcome to the real world. International summits are just a joke.

Nothing happens there, just few politicians get together, have some good food and wine, take some selfies and group photos, make a joint statement and go back to their respective countries.

The real deals and decisions are actually taken under the table or behind the closed curtains.

So it doesn't really matter what Abe (or anyone) does in these summits.

The best option Japan has. It'll be years before we have someone as good as him (or Koizumi). Mark my words.

Some people are starting to kind of remember his name.

Well done.