Japanese PM to discuss N.Korea, economic ties during rare Cuba trip
TOKYO- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will seek Cuba's help in responding to North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes during a rare visit to Havana next week, a spokesman said, and also hopes to expand Japanese business interests on the island.
Abe will become the first Japanese leader to visit Communist-ruled Cuba, which is one of North Korea's few diplomatic allies and is also slowly re-emerging after decades of international isolation and a US trade embargo.
His trip follows the normalisation of ties last year between Cuba and the United States, former Cold War enemies, and US President Barack Obama's visit to Cuba earlier this year.
