Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (Photo: Kyodo/VNA)

Kishida, who became the first Japanese leader to attend a NATO summit in Spain last year, is set to join this year's summit. NATO is considering opening a liaison office in Tokyo to better respond to security threats in Asia.

Kishida  is planning to visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar later in the month, to deepen economic and security relations with the Middle Eastern.