TOKYO (AFP) - Rugby powerhouses New Zealand and Australia will clash in a fourth Bledisloe Cup Test in Tokyo on October 31, aiming to tap into the fast-growing Asian market, it was announced here Tuesday.

The match will be played at Tokyo's National Stadium following one each in Auckland, Sydney and Wellington in the classic trans-Tasmanian series, the rugby unions of New Zealand, Australia and Japan said in a news conference.

It will be the first Test played in Japan by the Wallabies.

The Tokyo Test follows the groundbreaking Bledisloe Cup clash in Hong Kong between New Zealand and Australia last year, the first on neutral ground.

The plan could boost Japan's credibility as they are bidding to host the 2015 or 2019 Rugby World Cup after narrowly losing to New Zealand in the bid for 2011. The 2015 and 2019 venues will be chosen on July 28 in Dublin.

"Japan demonstrated their organisational skills by successfully hosting the IRB Junior World Championship in early June," Japan Rugby Football Union vice-president Nobby Mashimo told the press conference.

"With this track record, we want to step up from the junior to senior levels in organising events."

All Blacks coach Graham Henry said in a statement the match would pose an additional challenge at the start of their tour to Europe.

"The All Blacks have not played in Japan since 1987, so this is a rare opportunity for rugby fans in Japan to see the team," he said.

In a statement, Wallabies coach Robbie Deans described the selection of Tokyo as host for the Bledisloe Cup game as an exciting development for the game in Asia and worldwide.

"The scheduling of a game in Japan is an exciting proposition for the players which they are looking forward to," he said.

"We all enjoyed the experience of playing up in Hong Kong last year, and all recognise the great potential for growth that exists within the game in Asia."

New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew said it was an opportunity to continue to expand rugby in new markets and would be an important source of revenue for rugby in New Zealand, Australia and Japan.

Australian Rugby Union deputy chief executive Matt Carroll said taking the Bledisloe Cup to bigger commercial markets in Asia was an exciting initiative.

"The ARU is endeavouring to gain a share of valuable rugby economies outside Australia," he said in a statement. "It is also an important step forward in terms of sporting relationships between our two countries."

The New Zealand chief told the news conference: "We see Asia as an important part of the future of rugby in this part of the world.

"We look forward to one day coming to Japan to play Super Rugby here and, who knows, we might be back in 2015 or 2019 for the Rugby World Cup," Tew said. "We wish the Japan Rugby Union all the best as the vote counting is on the way.

"We have an aspiration to sell All Black shirts in Japan," he added. "We also see Japan as a future partner in Super League, not in the immediate future but in the long-term future."

Japanese rugby officials first suggested a Tokyo match when they attended the Bledisloe Cup Test in Hong Kong in November last year.

The first three Bledisloe Cup matches form part of the annual Tri-Nations series, which also involves South Africa, between July and September.