Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Cuba, a first for a Japanese leader, when he stops there next week after attending the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York, the government said Wednesday.

Abe is scheduled to hold talks with Cuban President Raul Castro during a stop in the Caribbean country, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a news conference.

Abe's trip from Sept. 18 to 24 will include a speech before the U.N. body. Suga said the Cuba visit is aimed at "further deepening our bilateral ties."