HAVANA, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday started a two-day visit to Cuba in an attempt to expand economic ties.
Abe, the first Japanese premier to visit to Cuba, held talks on economic cooperation with Cuban President Raul Castro.
"Raul and Abe expressed their willingness to expand ties particularly in the economic and commercial fields," a government statement said.
Currently, economic cooperation between the two countries is limited. Havana exports seafood, tobacco and coffee to Japan while Japanese made machinery is imported to the island.
He also met with former Cuban President Fidel Castro, Raul's elder brother and leader of Cuba's 1959 revolution.
