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183655
Sun, 05/22/2011 - 15:45
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https://oananews.org//node/183655
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Japan, China, S. Korea agree on enhancement of nuclear safety
TOKYO, May 22 Kyodo -
The leaders of Japan, China and South Korea agreed Sunday to enhance nuclear safety and disaster management, as the global community awaits the resolution of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, the worst in a quarter century.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and South Korean President Lee Myung Bak confirmed that strong cooperation between the Asian powers will be needed for Japan's rapid rebuilding from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which ravaged the plant and a broad swath of the northeastern region of Tohoku.
''Based on the recognition that trilateral cooperation will surely contribute to Japan's early recovery, we shared the importance of helping each other, especially at times of disaster and adversity,'' their joint statement, adopted along with other annex documents, said after the two-day trilateral summit in Tokyo.
To prevent the recurrence of a similar nuclear disaster, they pledged that Japan, China and South Korea will work toward building a comprehensive framework in which their experts can work more closely together and mutually access useful information, such as through the establishment of an early notification system
The leaders agreed that nuclear power ''remains an important option for many countries,'' but noted that ensuring its safety is ''a prerequisite...and the principle of 'safety first' should be upheld.''
They affirmed the importance of taking a cautious approach, based on scientific evidence, in dealing with the safety of products in the event of a nuclear accident, following fears especially over Japanese farm produce stemming from the crisis at the Fukushima plant.
Kan told a joint news conference that the visits to the city of Fukushima, about 60 kilometers from the plant, and other disaster-stricken areas a day before by the leaders of the neighboring countries were ''the most effective way to demonstrate to the world that Japan is safe and that Japanese food is safe.''
Lee said the impact of the nuclear accident was enormous, particularly in geographically close South Korea and China. He said, ''I really learned from the Fukushima accident about the need for speedy communication with the public in addition to fine scientific preparations.''
At the same time, while recognizing that atomic power remains a key option for many countries, the leaders agreed to facilitate joint programs on renewable energy and energy conservation to avoid excessive dependence on nuclear power.
Based on Japan's latest experience of accepting a huge scale of multinational relief work, the three countries laid down the principles of how to cooperate with each other in the event of emergencies.
For disaster prevention, they decided to explore the possibility of staging a joint rescue drill and creating an information-sharing system.
In addition, the three leaders devoted some amount of time to the latest situation in North Korea, following the start Friday of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's visit to China.
The communique said that ''concern was expressed'' over North Korea's uranium enrichment program.
It also underlined the importance of constructive inter-Korean dialogue and ''concrete actions'' to create an environment for the resumption of the long-stalled six-party talks on Pyongyang's denuclearization involving the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.
''We had a candid, in-depth exchange of views of the situation on the Korean Peninsula,'' Wen said at the news conference. ''We are happy to see that the situation on the peninsula is easing slightly...but at the same time noticing that there are also many uncertain factors, and the foundation of the dialogue is still fragile.''
On the economic front, they acknowledged that much remains to be done to expand the number of tourists and the volume of goods, services and capital.
The leaders of the three countries, which now account for nearly 20 percent of global gross domestic product, agreed to aim for the early realization of a trilateral investment treaty and to speed up their preparations for a free trade agreement between them.
They decided to try to finish the ongoing study on a three-way FTA within this year, one year earlier than initially planned, to pave the way for the launch of official negotiations.
Wen said China will support the idea of beginning such talks next year.
The Tokyo summit is the fourth of its kind since Japan, China and South Korea agreed in 2008 to take turns hosting the three-way meetings every year as a way to enhance mutual trust and cooperation.
The leaders of Japan, China and South Korea agreed Sunday to enhance nuclear safety and disaster management, as the global community awaits the resolution of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, the worst in a quarter century.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and South Korean President Lee Myung Bak confirmed that strong cooperation between the Asian powers will be needed for Japan's rapid rebuilding from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which ravaged the plant and a broad swath of the northeastern region of Tohoku.
''Based on the recognition that trilateral cooperation will surely contribute to Japan's early recovery, we shared the importance of helping each other, especially at times of disaster and adversity,'' their joint statement, adopted along with other annex documents, said after the two-day trilateral summit in Tokyo.
To prevent the recurrence of a similar nuclear disaster, they pledged that Japan, China and South Korea will work toward building a comprehensive framework in which their experts can work more closely together and mutually access useful information, such as through the establishment of an early notification system
The leaders agreed that nuclear power ''remains an important option for many countries,'' but noted that ensuring its safety is ''a prerequisite...and the principle of 'safety first' should be upheld.''
They affirmed the importance of taking a cautious approach, based on scientific evidence, in dealing with the safety of products in the event of a nuclear accident, following fears especially over Japanese farm produce stemming from the crisis at the Fukushima plant.
Kan told a joint news conference that the visits to the city of Fukushima, about 60 kilometers from the plant, and other disaster-stricken areas a day before by the leaders of the neighboring countries were ''the most effective way to demonstrate to the world that Japan is safe and that Japanese food is safe.''
Lee said the impact of the nuclear accident was enormous, particularly in geographically close South Korea and China. He said, ''I really learned from the Fukushima accident about the need for speedy communication with the public in addition to fine scientific preparations.''
At the same time, while recognizing that atomic power remains a key option for many countries, the leaders agreed to facilitate joint programs on renewable energy and energy conservation to avoid excessive dependence on nuclear power.
Based on Japan's latest experience of accepting a huge scale of multinational relief work, the three countries laid down the principles of how to cooperate with each other in the event of emergencies.
For disaster prevention, they decided to explore the possibility of staging a joint rescue drill and creating an information-sharing system.
In addition, the three leaders devoted some amount of time to the latest situation in North Korea, following the start Friday of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's visit to China.
The communique said that ''concern was expressed'' over North Korea's uranium enrichment program.
It also underlined the importance of constructive inter-Korean dialogue and ''concrete actions'' to create an environment for the resumption of the long-stalled six-party talks on Pyongyang's denuclearization involving the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.
''We had a candid, in-depth exchange of views of the situation on the Korean Peninsula,'' Wen said at the news conference. ''We are happy to see that the situation on the peninsula is easing slightly...but at the same time noticing that there are also many uncertain factors, and the foundation of the dialogue is still fragile.''
On the economic front, they acknowledged that much remains to be done to expand the number of tourists and the volume of goods, services and capital.
The leaders of the three countries, which now account for nearly 20 percent of global gross domestic product, agreed to aim for the early realization of a trilateral investment treaty and to speed up their preparations for a free trade agreement between them.
They decided to try to finish the ongoing study on a three-way FTA within this year, one year earlier than initially planned, to pave the way for the launch of official negotiations.
Wen said China will support the idea of beginning such talks next year.
The Tokyo summit is the fourth of its kind since Japan, China and South Korea agreed in 2008 to take turns hosting the three-way meetings every year as a way to enhance mutual trust and cooperation.
