New Zealand Trade and Defense Minister Phil Goff will leave for Japan on Wednesday to meet his counterparts in that country to promote closer economic and security ties.
The three-day visit supports the Japan leg of Prime Minister Helen Clark's trip to Japan and South Korea where the prime minister will be meeting leaders of both countries.
"New Zealand attaches great importance to its relationship with Japan. Our two-way trade is valued at 7.3 billion NZ dollars (5.6 billion U.S. dollars) and Japan is our third largest export market," Goff said.
Japan and New Zealand are working closely on regional trade and economic integration initiatives, he added.
Goff will also attend and speak at the first ever Japan New Zealand Partnership Forum.
The Partnership Forum, on May 14-16, is set to be the largest and most significant gathering of government and business leaders from the two countries ever held, with around 80 senior participants from Japan and New Zealand confirmed to attend.
On security issues, Goff and the Japanese defense chief will discuss international and regional defense and security issues, including developments in the Pacific, Afghanistan and Timor Leste.
New Zealand and Japan have many shared security interests that lend themselves to closer cooperation, including disaster relief and peacekeeping, he added.
Source:Xinhua
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