The US defence secretary has called on Japan to honour existing agreements on military bases in country.

Speaking in Tokyo after talks with his Japanese counterpart, Robert Gates said it was "time to move on" and implement a deal on a realignment of US forces based in Japan.

"This may not be the perfect alternative for anyone, but it is the best alternative for
Everyone," he said.

Three years ago US defence officials agreed a broad plan with the then Japanese government to reorganise US forces based in the country.

But in August a landslide election win swept a new government to power in Tokyo led by Yukio Hatomaya, the new prime minister.

In video

The uncertain future of Okinawa base

Some members of his cabinet have gone a step further, demanding that all troops leave the country.

Central to the 2006 deal is a plan to shift the US Marine air base at Futenma on the southern island of Okinawa to a less crowded part of the island.

Hatoyama has said he wants the base moved off the island, but the US has ruled that out, saying that would undermine broader security arrangements that took more than a decade to negotiate.

Sensitive subject

Gates , right, says Japan's new government should honour previous deals [Reuters]

The issue of the presence of US forces in Japan has long been a sensitive political subject with many residents near the bases complaining of crime, noise, pollution and the risk of accidents.

Speaking after Wednesday's talks with Gates, Toshimi Kitazawa, the Japanese defence secretary, said he had pointed out the political difficulties involved in the deal.

But he said he felt that spending a lot of time reaching a decision would not be healthy for the future of the US-Japan alliance.

Earlier Hatoyama, the new Japanese prime minister, assured Gates his administration would "place great importance on and cherish our alliance."

"Under the circumstances in which uncertainties remain in this Northeast Asia region, I think it is imperative to maintain and develop our alliance even further."