"Economically, diplomatically and in so many other ways, Japan is indispensable to global problem-solving," Clinton told a news conference after talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto. "And the U.S.-Japan alliance is as indispensable as ever to global security and progress."

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said it hoped to achieve a cold shutdown of the plant that was crippled in the March 11 quake and tsunami -- effectively making the reactors safe and stable -- within six to nine months.

Clinton also said Japan and the United States had agreed to create a "public-private partnership for reconstruction" under the guidance of Japan's government, and that U.S. firms and organizations would begin discussing how they can support Japan as it comes through the crisis.

AP