Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is leaving for Europe to attend a NATO summit.

Kishida starts his four-day European tour on Tuesday. His itinerary includes a visit to Lithuania, which is hosting the NATO gathering.

This will be Kishida's second participation in a NATO summit, following his attendance last year. He will likely stress that Japan is ready to play an active role in addressing the situation in Ukraine, based on the achievements it made at the G7 Hiroshima summit.

Kishida is expected to call for closer cooperation between Japan and the alliance, based on the belief that the security of Europe and that of the Indo-Pacific region are inseparable. Russia's relations with China have grown warmer since its invasion of Ukraine.

Arrangements are underway for talks between Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on the sidelines of the NATO summit. Kishida wants to explain to Yoon Japan's plan to release treated and diluted water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea.

Kishida also hopes to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to express Japan's readiness to continue providing support to Ukraine.

Kishida's tour will also take him to Belgium, where he is scheduled to meet EU leaders. Kishida and his EU counterparts are expected to release a joint statement, which would include a plan to expand security cooperation between Japan and the bloc.