LONDON, June 3 (Reuters) - Long-dated euro zone

government bond yields fell to their lowest level in weeks on

Tuesday, as a strong Japanese auction lifted sentiment across

big bond markets and attention turned to the release of May euro

zone inflation data.

Italian 10-year bond yields fell to three-month lows at

around 3.48%, while French yields also fell to the

lowest since early March, touching 3.15%.

The so-called "flash" estimate released later on Tuesday is

expected to show that headline euro area inflation eased to 2%,

the European Central Bank's target, from 2.2% in April.

Euro zone bond yields were lower across the board ahead of

the data, with benchmark 10-year German Bund yields falling to

around 2.49% -- their lowest level since May 8.

It was last down around 3 basis points on the day, in line

with a fall in French and Italian bond yields.

"Today's HICP (euro zone) flash data should keep 10-year

Bund yields above 2.5%," said Christoph Rieger, head of rates

and credit research at Commerzbank.

Analysts said positive sentiment in European debt markets,

where the fall in yields implied a rise in prices, was supported

by a strong government bond auction in Japan.

Recent tepid auction results for longer-dated debt in the

United States and Japan have raised concerns about the ability

of major economies to sell their bonds against a backdrop of

concern about high debt levels.

But on Tuesday 10-year Japanese government bond (JGB) yields

fell after results of an auction of the securities saw the

highest demand since April last year.