Japan, China, S Korea to strengthen cooperation in disaster control

Japan, China and South Korea held the first ministerial meeting on strengthening cooperation in disaster readiness and control in the Japanese city of Kobe Saturday.

Luo Pingfei, China's vice minister of civil affairs, Seiji Maehara, Japan's state minister in charge of disaster prevention, and Park Yeon Soo, administrator of South Korea's National Emergency Management Agency, took part in the meeting.

They agreed to exchange visits by officials in charge of disaster preparedness and sharing information on measures to improve the earthquake resistance of buildings and facilities, and to reduce the losses caused by disasters.

"The three countries are close neighbors and share the same risks. It is imperative for us to cooperate closely on disaster management," said Luo at a post-meeting press conference.

The three agreed to hold regular meetings of the kind in rotation. The next meeting will be held in China in 2011.

Source: Xinhua