6:43pm UK, Monday February 16, 2009

Hillary Clinton has arrived in Japan at the start of an Asian tour expected to focus on the global economic crisis and security issues including North Korea.

Clinton waves as she arrives at Tokyo’s Haneda airport

The new US Secretary of State broke with a decades-old tradition of new US secretaries of state travelling first to Europe or the Middle East after taking office.

In her talks with Asian leaders, she is also expected to focus on international challenges such as climate change, conflict in Afghanistan and Pakistan and preventing nuclear proliferation.

Speaking at a ceremony on her arrival in Tokyo Mrs Clinton said: “I have come to Asia on my first trip as Secretary of State to convey that America’s relationships across the Pacific are indispensable to addressing the challenges and seizing the opportunities of the 21st century.”

“We will be looking for ways to collaborate on issues that go beyond just our mutual concerns to really addressing global concerns,” she added.

Clinton And China: The Twain Meet

Foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall on Clinton’s maiden trip as Secretary of State.

But her message is in danger of being overshadowed by a warning from North Korea and gloomy economic data on Japan‘s recession underscored the talks with her Asian hosts.

Hours before her arrival, North Korea fuelled speculation it is preparing to test a long-range missile by suggesting it will go ahead with a rocket launch as part of what it called a space programme.

In Japan, the economics minister warned that Asia’s biggest economy had shrunk at the fastest pace in 35 years in the fourth quarter and faces its worst crisis since World War II.

Japan has greeted Mrs Clinton’s visit as a sign the administration of President Barack Obama will maintain strong ties with the oldest US regional ally, despite China’s rise as a geopolitical and economic power.

“We will discuss how to handle the global economic crisis, the North Korean issue, the Afghanistan issue and other issues faced by the international community and the region,” government spokesman Takeo Kawamura said.

“We will discuss ways to strengthen the Japan-US alliance. I think we will also strengthen our co-operation between Japan and the United States on the issue of North Korea.”