Kurt Campbell, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs, made a brief stop Thursday in Tokyo to talk up bilateral ties despite simmering discord over where to move U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.

The senior diplomat, who met with Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada ahead of a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in Tokyo next week, said bilateral ties with Japan are as firm as ever.

"The president is very much looking forward to his visit to Japan next week and we went through what we hope to accomplish during this historic visit," Campbell told reporters after the meeting at the Foreign Ministry.