Abbott arrives in Tokyo for trade trip

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has touched down in Tokyo, the first stop in his week-long "trifecta of trade" trip to Japan, South Korea and China.

Mr Abbott on Saturday was met by Australia's ambassador to Japan Bruce Miller and senior Japanese officials as he arrived on his first official visit to north Asia.

Australian and Japanese flags flew side by side alongside the tarmac as the prime minister disembarked his plane.

Japan, South Korea and China are the top three destinations for Australian exports, and two-way trade is worth $250 billion a year.

Mr Abbott wants to liberalise trade and open up these markets - starting in Japan.

He will be hoping to announce Australia has struck a free trade deal with Japan when he meets his counterpart Shinzo Abe next week, but that outcome is far from assured.

To clinch a deal with Japan after seven years of protracted negotiations would be a major coup for Mr Abbott.

He ambitiously promised at the September election to sign free trade deals with Japan, China and South Korea within 12 months.

He plans to ratify the Korean Australian Free Trade Agreement - finalised in December - during a visit to Seoul on Tuesday.

Ahead of Mr Abbott's arrival, Trade Minister Andrew Robb met with Japan's agriculture minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in Tokyo to try and iron out unresolved issues in the proposed deal.

One hurdle surrounds beef, as Japan has traditionally fought hard to protect its key agricultural commodities from increased competition from abroad.

The federal government wants Japan's high tariffs on beef exports slashed - similar to the deal they struck with South Korea in December - and has offered to cut import duties on Japanese cars as a sweetener.

But while Mr Robb said he was fighting hard for the best deal for Australian beef farmers, he conceded the negotiations had reached an "advanced but difficult stage".

He said a deal couldn't be reached unless Australia secured significant economic benefits.