Consumers and business partners in Japan will become increasingly important in the next century for Hewlett Packard Co. to expand its share in the information technology market, Carly Fiorina, new president and chief executive officer of the firm, told reporters Tuesday.

Visiting Japan for the first time after taking up the post in July, Fiorina, the first female CEO of one of America's 20 largest companies, said Hewlett Packard has just started a campaign to raise its brand value in the market.

"We have not, up to this point in time, been aggressive in the Japanese consumer market," Fiorina said. "We do intend to launch the HP brand aggressively around the world. Japan will be included in our initial brand launch."