Japan, China and South Korea pledges to cooperate in preventing nuclear disaster; Tokyo and Washington decides against setting any deadline for implementing Futenma relocation plan
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    • In a trilateral meeting held recently in Tokyo on May 22, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak pledged to strengthen the ties among the three countries in preventing nuclear disaster and ensuring safety of nuclear power generation in the future. In the joint declaration, Japan declared that it would share lessons learnt from the Fukushima nuclear crisis with the two neighbouring states as well as the international community. The document further stated that the three countries would construct a framework for early warning in times of emergencies. In the meantime, during a bilateral talk between Japan and China, Wen Jiabao informed that Beijing would partially relax the restrictions on food imports from Japan imposed after the Fukushima crisis and remove the food products of Yamanashi and Yamagata from those of the list of the twelve prefectures currently under the import ban. With a view to revitalizing tourism in Japan which was adversely affected after the Funushima crisis, the Chinese Premier has also promised to dispatch inspection teams of about 100 people, including tourism administrators as well as members of companies, during May 30-June 4.1

    In another development, during the process of compiling a new policy guideline for the realignment of US forces in Japan recently, both Japan and the US decided not to set a specific deadline for the implementation of the 2006 roadmap. It is worth noting that under the 2006 roadmap, the relocation of the US Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station in Okinawa was to be completed by 2014. While pointing out that it would be difficult to carry out the relocation plan set by the 2006 roadmap, the new guideline, instead, would stipulate that the relocation should be in line with a previous bilateral agreement concluded in May 2010.2

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