U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Tokyo to discuss restarting nuclear talks with North Korea and lifting a Japanese ban on American beef.
Ms. Rice plans to meet with top officials, including Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, for talks expected to focus on how to bring Pyongyang back to the negotiating table.
North Korea has said it will not return to the six-party talks until Secretary Rice apologizes for calling it "an outpost of tyranny."
While in Tokyo, Ms. Rice is also expected to urge Japan to lift its 2003 ban on U.S. beef imports that followed the first American case of mad cow disease.
Secretary Rice has visited India, Pakistan and Afghanistan this week on her Asian tour. She plans to visit South Korea and China before returning to Washington on Monday.
