Japan's prime minister was not impressed with Robert Mugabe falling asleep during their joint press conference

Ailing Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe did not endear himself to Japan during a media conference in Tokyo earlier this week.

The 92-year-old was in the country at prime minister Shinzo Abe's invitation to strengthen diplomatic ties ahead of the 6th annual Tokyo International Conference on African Development, which is due to be held in Kenya in August.

But as Abe introduced him as an "iconic" African leader, Mugabe can quite clearly be seen nodding off:

Abe, glancing to his right at the jetlagged Mugabe, does not look amused at the development.

Zimbabwe's information minister said in a statement on Friday that Mugabe had not been sleeping but rather "nodding in agreement" and rebuked media for spreading "disrespectful" "propaganda" that the president was dozing in front of the cameras.

It's not the first time the ailing president has been caught nodding off on the job though: he slept through addresses by heads of state at an African Union summit in February.

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