Tokyo ? Japan’s agriculture minister plans to meet his U.S. counterpart next week in Geneva for talks likely to include the ban Tokyo imposed on U.S. beef imports over fears about mad cow disease, an official said Friday.

Japanese Agriculture Minister Shoichi Nakagawa will meet Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns and U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman on Tuesday in the Swiss city, ministry spokesman Hiromasa Sakuma said.

The discussions are expected to cover a variety of issues, likely including Japan’s ban on U.S. beef imports over concerns related to mad cow disease, Sakuma said.

Japan shut its doors to American beef in January after spinal bones were found in a U.S. veal shipment. The bones are considered by Japan to be at risk for mad cow disease and are banned under an agreement that eased a prior ban on U.S. beef in December.