Kan, Wen, Lee agree on Japan’s recovery
The leaders of Japan, China, and South Korea have agreed on the need to take a scientific approach over Japanese products in the wake of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, and South Korean President Lee Myung Bak met in Tokyo on Sunday.
The summit began with a moment of silence for the victims of the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. After the discussions, the 3 leaders issued a joint statement.
The statement says the countries reconfirm the utmost importance of boosting safety at nuclear plants, and will continue to operate nuclear facilities safely with transparency.
It says the 3 leaders decided to enhance information sharing on nuclear safety.
The leaders agreed to work together to build a framework for early notification of emergencies, and to discuss how to promote exchanges among experts.
The joint statement stresses the importance of taking necessary measures based on scientific evidence in assessing the safety of products following nuclear accidents.
It also says the 3 countries will work closely to promote renewable energy and energy conservation measures.
On North Korea, the 3 leaders agreed that the North needs to hold dialogue with South Korea before the resumption of the 6-party nuclear talks. The statement expresses concern over North Korea’s uranium enrichment program.
After the summit, the 3 leaders held a joint news conference.
Japanese Prime Minister Kan expressed gratitude for the visit by the Chinese and South Korean leaders to the quake-hit areas on Saturday. He said it was the greatest support to Japan because it highlighted the safety of Japanese food.
Premier Wen said China will scale back its import restrictions on Japanese food and promote tours to Japan.
South Korean President Lee said the 3 leaders agreed that exchanging information is necessary in the wake of nuclear accidents. He called for more discussions on the safety of nuclear power plants at the nuclear security summit to be held in Seoul in March of next year.
Sunday, May 22, 2011 15:07 +0900 (JST)
(No Ratings Yet)