Japan, China, S. Korea summit starts in Tokyo

TOKYO – Leaders of Japan, China and South Korea Sunday began a trilateral summit, at which Tokyo is expected to offer to share lessons it has learned from its earthquake and tsunami and the ongoing nuclear crisis.

The meeting came as Japan struggles to control the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl at the Fukushima plant, which has leaked radiation into the air, sea and land since a huge earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

At the summit in Tokyo, nuclear safety, cooperation in disaster preparedness, and food safety are expected to top the agenda, along with trade issues.

The visiting leaders, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak, are expected to reaffirm their support for Japan’s efforts to recover from the triple catastrophe, government sources said.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan is also expected to discuss with the two leaders trade regulations on Japanese food and to pledge to share information on the nuclear accident with the international community.

A day before the summit, the three Asian leaders visited a shelter for displaced residents 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Tokyo’s neighbors have been concerned by the leak and its impact on food safety across the region, but Saturday’s visit focused on paying respects to those affected by the disasters.

Wen and Lee, who arrived in northeastern Japan earlier Saturday, are the first foreign leaders to visit Fukushima since the monster tsunami hit the plant, which lies around 220 kilometers northeast of Tokyo.

The three-nation meeting was first held on a regular basis in 2008.