TOKYO, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell met with Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada in Tokyo on Thursday amid tension about what is to happen to the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that allows U.S. troops to remain in Okinawa.

    Since the governing Democratic Party of Japan came to power in September, it has repeatedly said it would like to review the SOFA agreement with a view to making changes to it.

    Campbell, however, played down any tensions between the two nations in the days before President Barack Obama's visit at a news conference on Thursday.

    "The president is very much looking forward to his visit to Japan next week ... I think we are extraordinarily pleased with the preparations," Campbell said. "We are fully committed to this (U.S.-Japan) alliance. We think that we are working very well together," he added.

    Despite the positive message, however, it is likely that there is tension behind closed doors. On Friday, Okada was scheduled to meet U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington, but after a week of confusion, the visit was canceled, with Japan's foreign minister citing parliamentary duties as the reason.

    Campbell refused to answer questions about whether the issue of Okinawa had come up in his meeting with Okada.

    The DPJ denied on Wednesday that the visit was in place of the Okada-Clinton meeting. Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Kazuo Kodama said that Campbell's visit was a stopover after meetings in Myanmar, and not a rushed appointment after Okada's appointment with Clinton fell through.

    The SOFA agreement states that a number of troops will leave Japan and be stationed in Guam, while the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan will be moved to Nago, a less heavily populated town within Okinawa by 2014. It is unpopular in Japan and has proved an emotive issue in Okinawa.

    On an October visit to Japan, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates talked tough on the deal, saying the current agreement, which was signed by the former governing Liberal Democratic Party and the administration of President George W. Bush "is the best alternative for everyone, and it is time to move on."

    That advice is, however, unlikely to be heeded by a DPJ elected on a platform of political change.