According to the Nikkei news agency on Monday, Abe hopes to be able to travel to Iran around the time he goes to Kenya on August 27-28.

Takeo Fukuda was the last Japanese prime minister who visited Iran in September 1978.

“Any trip to Iran likely will be on the way to or back from a Japan-Africa development conference that Abe will attend in Kenya on Aug. 27-28,” the agency said.

It added the Japanese premier “intends to take the initiative to strengthen economic ties between Japan and Iran” after the lifting of anti-Tehran sanctions in January.

There has been growing international interest in trade ties with Iran since Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) on July 14, 2015 finalized a comprehensive deal on Tehran’s nuclear program and implemented it on January 16.

The comprehensive nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), terminated all nuclear-related sanctions on Iran after coming into force.