Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi left Japan on Saturday for Britain, the first leg of an eight-day European tour, to discuss postwar Iraq and the situation in North Korea with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Shortly after arriving in London, Koizumi will meet with Blair over dinner at the British prime minister's Downing Street residence to discuss how to help rehabilitate and reconstruct Iraq with the United States, Japanese officials said.

Koizumi is expected to ask for Britain's cooperation in settling issues involving North Korea, particularly its alleged possession of nuclear weapons.