Tokyo and Washington could as early as this week remove a big irritant to otherwise close relations by finally coming to an agreement on the redeployment of US troops in Japan, according to Nicholas Burns, US undersecretary of state for political affairs.

Mr Burns, in Tokyo on Monday to try to hammer out an agreement over the so-called “transformation” of US troop deployment in Japan, said he was hopeful that an agreement could be reached either this week or failing that by the time George W. Bush, US president, visits Japan in mid-November.