Japan, one of the postwar era’s strongest anti-nuclear voices, missed an opportunity at the nuclear summit that ended here on Tuesday to translate its commitment to disarmament into a premier spot on an emerging global agenda. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama was overshadowed by those who came to Washington with specific ideas about how to shore up the global commitment to nonproliferation. The Japanese media have portrayed Mr. Hatoyama’s low profile as a reflection of the difficult state of U.S.-Japan relations. Although the issue of nuclear nonproliferation was identified early on as a priority after Japan’s new government took office in September, Mr. Hatoyama, who was seated next to President Obama over dinner, used his one-on-one time to discuss the relocation of the Futenma Marine Air Station on Okinawa, a thorn in the bilateral relationship.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/opinion/15iht-edsmith.html?scp=2&sq=Japan&st=cse
Its sad that they lost the opportunity, but they will find a better opportunity hopefully. Good article by the way.