TOKYO, Nov. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and US President George W. Bush will hold talks next Wednesday morning in the ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto, Kyodo News reported Friday.

    Koizumi and Bush are expected to discuss such issues as the planned realignment of the US military presence in Japan, Japan's deployment of troops for Iraq's reconstruction and its ongoing import ban on American beef.

    According to Kyodo, Bush is expected to urge Koizumi to open Japan's beef and other farm markets and encourage him to promote future-oriented dialogue with China and South Korea.

    Japan and the United States agreed Oct. 29 on a set of plans to realign US forces in Japan, including a reduction of 7,000 Marines in Okinawa and joint use with the Self-Defense Forces of some key US bases.

    Koizumi, meanwhile, is slated to decide by December on whether to lift the import ban on US and Canadian beef in place given discoveries of mad cow disease there in 2003. Enditem