Regional disputes should not be on the agenda at G7 summit

With the G7 leaders convening in Japan this year, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is eager to drive home the message that Japan is both a regional and a global leader.

Abe's ambitious foreign policy has already made him the most traveled Japanese leader in history. In just three years, Abe has visited more than 63 countries and held more than 400 summits.

As part of this policy, Japan has been seeking to make a military and political comeback in the strategically important region of the South China Sea. To this end, it has been working hard to improve relations with countries, such as Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia.