Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is planning to attend a NATO summit slated for late June in Spain, a development that would make him the first Japanese leader to take part in a gathering of the Western alliance, a government source said Saturday.

Kishida's attendance at the June 29-30 event in Madrid is dependent on the domestic political situation leading up to an Upper House election likely to be held July 10, the source said.

Through Kishida's participation in the NATO summit, officials hope Japan will strengthen coordination with the United States and European countries in response to Russia's war in Ukraine and possible contingencies over the Taiwan Strait.