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The All Blacks will play Australia in a fourth Bledisloe Cup Test in Tokyo on October 31, according to an announcement by the New Zealand Rugby Union.

The match will be played at the National Stadium in Tokyo and will be the first Test played in Japan by the Wallabies.

The Tokyo Test follows the ground-breaking staging of a Bledisloe Cup Test between the two countries in Hong Kong last year, the first ever on neutral ground.

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.

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."

NZRU 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 agreed, saying 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.

"It is also an important step forward in terms of sporting relationships between our two countries."

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 this year are being held as part of the Tri-Nations series between July and September.

AFP