New York ? It sure looks like the New York Yankees are pushing for a deal with Hideki Matsui.

Yankees team president Randy Levine and general manager Brian Cashman are scheduled to travel to Japan on Thursday, a team official said on the condition of anonymity.

The purpose of the trip, the team official said Tuesday, is to announce a working agreement between the Yankees and the Yomiuri Giants, the top team in the Japanese leagues.

Also scheduled to make the trip are Yankees general partner Stephen Swindal, the son-in-law of owner George Steinbrenner; and Gordon Blakeley, the team’s vice president of international and professional scouting.

Assistant general manager Jean Afterman already is in Japan, where Matsui is playing for Japanese all-stars against a major league all-star team.

The working agreement with the Yomiuri Giants probably will be announced this weekend, the team official said.

Matsui, a 28-year-old outfielder who is nicknamed “Godzilla,” bats left-handed, and New York envisions him clearing the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium. He hit .334 for the Giants this season and led the Central League with 50 homers and 107 RBIs. In 10 seasons with the Giants, he hit 332 homers, winning the Central League’s MVP in 1996, 2000 and this year.

He does not have an agent, saying he will negotiate with the help of a friend who is a lawyer. Matsui has said he will not start talks until after the tour ends Sunday in Tokyo.