Tokyo  - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was to meet Tuesday with Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone to confirm discuss relations between the two allies and to pressure North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons programmes.

Clinton was expected to ask Japan to step up its military assistance in the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan when she meets with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada.

Clinton and Nakasone were expected to sign an agreement to transfer 8,000 US Marines to the Pacific island of Guam from the southern Japanese island of Okinawa. They were also said to agree on increasing pressure on Pyongyang to denuclearize via the six-party talks.

While her visit to Asia through Sunday signals a turnaround after the US image suffered in the region during the tenure of former president George W Bush, Japan did not expect concrete policy results from Clinton's meeting.

"We see Asia as part of America's future," she was quoted as saying on her flight Monday to Tokyo.

Clinton's choice of Asian destinations for her first trip abroad indicated that US President Barack Obama's administration has realized the growing importance of Asia in international diplomacy, critics said.

Clinton arrived Monday in Tokyo to start her Asian tour, which has later stops in Indonesia, South Korea and China. (dpa)