The top US diplomat sent his "deepest condolences" to the people of Nepal, and in the region, who had been affected by the disaster, adding "the images that everybody has seen are gut-wrenching, extraordinary devastation."
Speaking at a joint press conference with Kerry in New York, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida revealed Tokyo was also sending some $8 million in aid to Nepal.
Teams of US and Japanese search and rescue experts are beginning to arrive in the devastated region which was struck by a huge 7.8 magnitude quake on Saturday.