Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering visiting Cuba late next month, a government source said Thursday.
The visit, which would be the first by a Japanese leader, would coincide with his attendance at the U.N. General Assembly in New York and give him a chance to affirm Tokyo's commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation with Havana and expanding Japanese business interests in Cuba.
In May last year, Fumio Kishida became the first Japanese foreign minister to visit Havana. On that occasion, the two countries agreed to set up public-private joint meetings to encourage the expansion of Japanese official development assistance and promote economic reforms in Cuba.