TOKYO, March 18 (Xinhuanet) -- US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Japan Friday evening for a two-day visit with topics expected to include Japan's beef ban, nuclear issue in the Korean Peninsular and bilateral security cooperation.
On Saturday, Rice is scheduled to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura and Defense Agency Director General Yoshinori Ono.
At the meetings, Rice may call on Japan to scrap its 15-month-old ban on US beef imports, which was imposed due to mad cow disease.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Thursday that Japan has no plan to present a timetable at this moment to reopen the market to US beef, but is not putting off the lifting of the ban on purpose.
Some US lawmakers have ratcheted up pressure on the White Houseto impose economic sanction on Japan.
The talks also are expected to cover Japanese-US defense and security cooperation, including the realignment of the US forces in Japan.
Tokyo wants the United States to reduce its military presence in the Okinawa Prefecture in face of heated complaint from the overburdened local people.
On the nuclear issue in the Korean Peninsular, they are expected to seek a collective effort to bring the Democratic People's Republic of Korea back to the multilateral negotiation track.
Rice is heading to South Korea Saturday afternoon. Enditem | 
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