Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is to visit Cuba next week, the Japanese government said Wednesday.

The visit follows his trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly meeting, according to the Japanese government.

During the visit, Abe will meet Cuban President Raul Castro in a bid to "further deepen bilateral ties," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida visited Havana in May last year, as the first Japanese foreign minister to make such a trip.

According to Japan's foreign ministry, annual trade between the two countries stood at 6.68 billion yen (64.9 million U.S. dollars) in 2015, with Japanese exports to Cuba accounting for about two thirds.

Source : XINHUA