Not a full house

This is because, contrary to what many Japanese people believe, Japan just isn't that important on the world stage.

Big difference compared to what it looked like last week when Pope Francis gave his speech.

what an embarrasing pic for abe and japan. he seems to live in a bubble anyways so i wonder if he even notices.

Kawabegawa nailed it. Japan isn't important on the world stage. Its lost its allure.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, boldly looking backwards as he leads Japan into a future of obscurity and insignificance.

I'll echo the sentiments above and repeat that when gerontocracies are in charge and won't budge from the ways that got them to the heights of the 1980's, Japan is going to slip even further back on the world stage. Like Greece, though, it can continue to attract tourists to visit its amazing historical monuments. @warispeace You won the internet today with that one.

You'd think people would be queueing up to hear "man of action" Abe spout his drivel. Without free wi-fi the place would probably be empty.

Look at the faces in the "Audience". Looks like most of them have better things to do and aren't even paying attention.

Not only that, but count the number of people who look like they are paying attention but aren't actually using the earpiece to listen to the translation. Is the UK ambassador a fluent Japanese speaker, or is he just more interested in his MacBook?

Empty rhetoric, empty auditorium.

He's only doing this for the Japanese media, anyway.

Francis gave a speech at the UN last week?

Look at the faces in the "Audience". Looks like most of them have better things to do and aren't even paying attention.

Abe spoke in Japanese this time.

It's where UN translators come in. It's where Abe hopes than when he says "everything is under control" it will be lost in translation

Is this headline directed at the speaker?

"Japan Is Back!"

funny.

Ha ha ha. Japan has the same power and prestige on the world stage as my pet cat. Really japan is only good as an ATM as they dish out tax payers cash here, there and everywhere.

Is this headline directed at the speaker

No. If it was it would read not a full deck

Wow, so irrelevant Abe and Abenomics.

Abe assumes he is a big fish on the world stage, but the world and even his own Japanese citizens can see clearly he is the antithesis of a leader who rules by law and democracy, not to mention his administration are whitewashers of history who now are sneaking their way to remilitarize again.

The fact he faced an almost empty UN audience says volumes...including nobody cares about his paradoxical "proactive pacifism" that sounds so hollow when knowing what he stands for.

As a Japanese, this picture is a good reminder of Japan not being that important on the world stage.

Nice pic.

I wonder what was the stress levels of the Japanese delegation to the UN when they saw that not many people were there. Having worked in an organization before where the "Emperor" didn't really realize that he had no clothes on, it was up to the lickspittles and the rest of the "leg humpers" to make sure that the rest of the world would drink the kool-aide that the boss was selling and it was funny to see them really scramble when others didn't give a darn about him. Sure it made for some long days for those of us who had to put up with it, but thankfully, those bosses rotate out and a new day comes. I am sure that the Japanese delegation at the UN is glad it's over, but I fear that some will get reassigned since Abe came off looking bad.

Wow, full house.

Figured that someone would at least pay people to show up and pretend that they were listening.

Did he give the speech in English or Japanese?

I guess if I was in NYC, I would rather be taking a walk in Central Park then grabbing a Shake Shack burger than listen to this guy.

Did he give the speech in English or Japanese?

Abe spoke in Japanese this time. Everyone can experience the boredom for themselves here:

https://youtu.be/Pycf-R6u6co

What time was the speech given? That could answer some questions as to what else was going on? Were there side discussions between the USA, Russia about the Middle East? That would have drawn a crowd. Overall, I think if you looked at a schedule of events, you would see that for a lot of countries that are not in the news lately, the turnout is about the same. All the more reason to get rid of the UN or cut back their funding and make them earn that money that is being wasted there for those large staffs.

No one goes there to actually get anything done, which, to me is a good thing. I don't want the UN getting involved in things. When they do, it's never in the people's best interest.

Wow, that's gotta hurt! How low can Japan go!

Wake up Japan before its too late.............ah nobody listening

Kawabegawa was spot-on.