Trade ministers from the 12 nations negotiating a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are expected to hold another meeting soon to clinch a deal, after failing to do so in Hawaii last month. The TPP would cover 40 percent of the global economy.

"This is our last chance," Amari told a regular news conference. "If we don't have an agreement, a deal may be delayed for years given various uncertainties.

"I'm not too optimistic about the prospects but I do feel we are making some progress," he added.

(Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)