By Xingwei Huang

    WELLINGTON, May 12 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark leaves for Japan and South Korea on Monday for an official visit aiming to seek closer ties with the two East Asian countries.

    Clark said earlier that the meetings with leaders of the two countries are an opportunity to take a fresh look at the bilateral relations.

    Clark will arrive in Tokyo on Tuesday. During her visit to Japan, Clark will hold talks with her Japanese counterpart Yasuo Fukuda in Tokyo on Wednesday and attend the inaugural Japan-New Zealand Partnership Forum -- a high-level business event aimed at refocusing Japanese attention on New Zealand.

    She is expected to raise New Zealand's opposition to Japan's annual whale hunt in the Southern Ocean and to discuss further co-operation on environmental issues.

    Clark has been keen to "reinvigorate" the relationship with Japan -- New Zealand's third biggest export market. Trade between New Zealand and Japan worth over 7.3 billion NZ dollars (5.7 billion U.S. dollars ) a year.

    In 2005, Clark and then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi committed to exploring closer relations between the countries and Clark is likely to seek a similar commitment from Fukuda on this trip.

    Following her visit to Japan, Clark will fly to Seoul where she is expected to discuss the likelihood of free trade negotiations with South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak on Friday.

    Following a positive study and recent talks between officials, New Zealand Trade Minister Phil Goff said free trade negotiations with South Korea -- New Zealand's sixth biggest export destination-- seem a certainty.

    New Zealand-South Korea two-way trade worth over 2.4 billion NZ dollars (1.9 billion U.S. dollars) a year.

    A recent study suggested a such a deal would have a good pay off for both economies.

    "We are moving in a very positive direction with Korea and I think it's now a matter of timing rather than if we have a free trade agreement," the New Zealand Press Association quoted him as saying.

    However, the timing would not be dealt with until later in the year, after the South Korean parliament had ratified its free trade deal with the United States.

    Goff said New Zealand would like to see an FTA between the two countries recognized as a medium-term goal.

    He was optimistic that Japan's need to secure food imports for its import-dependant populace, its severely ageing farmer population -- the average age is now about 70 -- and greater global trade liberalization will force a rethink of its current position within that time frame.