Three-nation food safety deal reached

Health ministers from Japan, China and South Korea agreed Monday in Tokyo to share information on food safety and coordinate measures against swine flu.

At their third regular meeting, the ministers signed a memorandum on food safety that according to the health ministry is the first of its kind, and issued a joint statement pledging to boost cooperation on food and health-related issues.

Under the memorandum, the three countries will exchange information on food inspection methods, report food safety problems and dispatch experts.

The agreement came as the administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is aiming to bring Asian nations closer on various fronts.

Health minister Akira Nagatsuma said he called on his Chinese counterpart, Chen Zhu, during a separate meeting to resolve pending food safety issues, including the tainted Chinese "gyoza" dumplings that left several Japanese ill in 2007.

Chen, meanwhile, welcomed the signing of the memorandum and said food safety is one of the major health issues that the three countries need to tackle.

In a separate meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Nagatsuma and Jeon Jae Hee agreed to exchange information at the working level to address the falling birthrate and aging population in both countries.