Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly met with her Japanese counterpart in Tokyo, adopting an action plan to strengthen co-operation on defence and economic security.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's whirlwind visit to Ottawa this weekend offers the Liberal government a rare chance to trumpet a strong international alliance in the face of unyielding strain with its two top trading partners.

Trade talks have stalled between Canada and Japan - one of the Harper government's priority countries for a breakthrough - because the Asian country has lost interest.