Blinken lands in Japan for talks with U.S. ally

"Secretary Austin and I are here for one simple but important purpose, to reaffirm our commitment to the alliance and also to build on it," Blinken said at the opening of a meeting with his Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi.

Their visit to Tokyo and Seoul is the first overseas visit by top cabinet members of President Joe Biden's team and follows a virtual summit last week of the leaders the United States, Japan, Australia and India - the Quad alliance.

During the meeting with Motegi, Blinken said he wanted to work with Japan and allies on the denuclearisation of North Korea.

He also said Tokyo and Washington shared commitment to democracy, human rights and rule of law and said they are "under threat in many places, including in the region, whether it's in Burma or whether in different ways, China."