TOKYO - China, Japan and South Korea agreed to boost cooperation on disaster management and nuclear power safety at a trilateral summit held in Tokyo on Sunday.

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In a joint declaration issued after a summit attended by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, leaders of the three Asian nations said they will deepen future-oriented, comprehensive cooperative partnership. They vowed to help each other, especially at times of disaster and adversity.

They also agreed to cooperate on disaster management and enhancing nuclear power safety. Japan is committed to sharing with China, South Korea and the rest of the world the lessons learned from the crisis at the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant which was crippled by the twin disasters in March.

While the three nations shared the view that nuclear energy remains an important option for many countries, they expressed the belief that  ensuring nuclear power safety was a prerequisite for developing nuclear energy.

At the outset of the summit on Sunday, the leaders expressed condolences to victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan by observing a minute of silence.

They agreed in their talks to promote dialogues and cooperation concerning food safety and energy security.

The leaders also vowed to make efforts to reach a substantial consensus on the negotiation of a trilateral investment agreement and accelerate a joint study on a free trade agreement.

At a business summit after the leaders' meeting, Kan said he hoped the three nations could deepen cooperation to accelerate Japan's economic recovery. "The recovery of Japan will be conducive to China, South Korea and the entire Asia," he said.

Trilateral summits between the three nations have been held annually since Dec 13, 2008, when Premier Wen joined his then Japanese counterpart Taro Aso and South Korean President Lee in discussions of trilateral cooperation, the global financial crisis and other issues of common concern in the Japanese city of Fukuoka.

The second summit, held on October 10, 2009, in Beijing, was chaired by Premier Wen and attended by then Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and South Korean President Lee and the meeting explored ways to deepen relationships between the three countries from a strategic perspective.

The third summit was convened in the South Korean resort island of Jeju on May 29-30, 2010. At the summit Premier Wen, South Korean President Lee and then Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama unveiled a blueprint for trilateral cooperation in economy, security, environmental protection, cultural exchange and other areas in the coming decade.