US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a virtual meet and greet with US embassy staff at the US Ambassador's residence in Tokyo on March 16, 2021. (KIM KYUNG-HOON / POOL / AFP)

TOKYO - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday called for deeper economic ties with Japan, as he and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin seek to use their first trip abroad to solidify Asian alliances.

Their visit to Tokyo and Seoul is the first overseas outing 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.

Issues on the agenda range from freedom of navigation in the South and East China Seas and semiconductor supply-chain security to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) nuclear issue and latest developments in Myanmar.

The visit to Tokyo and Seoul is the first overseas outing 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

“The economic relationship between the United States and Japan is, as you know very well, one of the strongest in the world,” Blinken said in remarks to a group of business leaders in Tokyo.

He said the pandemic had exposed vulnerabilities in global supply chains for critical products, including medical equipment, supplies, semiconductors.

The countries needed to work together to build secure and resilient supply chains for the future, he said.

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At the opening of a “2+2” meeting, Blinken said he wanted to work with Japan and allies on the denuclearization of the DPRK. The “2+2” meeting was held between Blinken, Austin and Japan’s foreign and defense ministers.

The talks were expected to address other items raised during the Quad summit, including the commitment to boost COVID-19 vaccine supplies in Asia and climate change.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Blinken expressed support for the staging of Tokyo Olympics during their bilateral meeting.

But Blinken sounded non-committal in his remarks to Tokyo-based US diplomats, saying the summer Games “involve planning for several different scenarios,” and adding that “whenever and however, Team USA ends up competing, it will be because of you.”

(From left) US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi pose for a photo prior to their "2+2" talks at Iikura guest house in Tokyo, Japan, on March 16, 2021. (KIYOSHI OTA / POOL PHOTO VIA AP)

The trip sends an “important signal of resolve to work with allies”, Sung Kim, the Acting Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs told reporters during a briefing ahead of the visit.

The Quad summit pledged to work to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific, a major priority for Tokyo, and cooperate on maritime, cyber and economic security.

The US secretaries are expected to make a courtesy call on Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who is set to visit the White House as the first foreign leader to meet Biden in April.

Blinken and Austin will leave Tokyo for Seoul on Wednesday and hold talks with counterparts in the Republic of Korea's capital until Thursday.

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They are also set to meet their Chinese counterparts in Alaska on Thursday.