Kiyoshi Takenaka and Michael Martina, Reuters

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will seek Cuba's help in responding to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs 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 U.S. trade embargo.