Since Aug 21, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been to Brazil, Kenya, Russia, China, Laos, the U.S. and Cuba. Do you think he is traveling abroad too much?

Wouldn't mind if Abe spent 11 months out of 12 travelling abroad.

Japan would be all the better for it!

He's just out there buying friends.

well he doesnt really have a choice, back in the boom years people were lining up to get in on the made in Japan, now there's much more competition you've got to go out there are find your customers like everybody else.

From reading the above, the problem does not seem to be his traveling but the fact that he keeps coming back? :-)

It's not that he's travelling that's the problem, it's that he's giving away money Japan needs for domestic issues, and promising aid and assistance in the realm of nuclear power and weapons so that he can build the war machine at home under the guise of the "China threat".

If those visits are actually productive, then it's fine

,,,and he would surely go to Mars,,, to show how much he loves traveling. He would be a little dictator of Mars.

Wouldn't mind if Abe spent 11 months out of 12 travelling abroad. Japan would be all the better for it!

LOL. good one! I agree

Wasting taxpayers money. Most countries he visits he goves money to as well. Japan has a HUGE debt. Time to start reeling that in a bit. Although BertieWooster does have agood point.

In the world of business, what he is doing is called promotion. Promotion is expensive nowadays but if those visits are effective, all the power to him.

It really depends on what he is doing when he is abroad. If there is some benefit for Japan, then fine. The trouble is that more than one premier has used foreign affairs as a way of avoiding home strife and currying favour abroad for their own ends so while I've little trouble with foreign visits, it's always worth keeping an eye on.

I agree with all three posters above ! (Although it's true about the waste of taxpayers money and I've also mentioned the huge debt too...)

You have to stay ahead of China.

He wants to travel a lot to try to evade debating against Renho.

The prime minister Mr. Abe is not traveling for fun. He is supposed to keep good relationship with other countries.

Wouldn't mind if Abe spent 11 months out of 12 travelling abroad. Japan would be all the better for it!

I would, if its on my tax dollar! Half those places aren't even trade-related excursions.

Tax payers money , so easy to spend!

Let's hope that while he's abroad he can't be doing as much damage to the Japanese economy (Abe-failed-nomics), morality (making it OK for Japan to attempt to become a military power again), and general well-being (thank-the Lord-he's not here again). Perhaps next year he could aim for, maybe, 366 days abroad? Japan and the world would be much better for it.

He needs to spend money solving problems in Japan. Yes, trade is what he is supposed to create, but it doesn't look like he accomplished that. He received a polite thank you, then shown the door after the yen was delivered. Did he get a lesson from his visit with President Obama?