East Asia's top leaders meet near nuke plant

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http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110522a1.html

FUKUSHIMA — The leaders of China and South Korea visited Saturday near the troubled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant and tasted some local farm produce with Prime Minister Naoto Kan to show their support for Japan's reconstruction efforts.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and South Korean President Lee Myung Bak sampled the produce after being welcomed by Kan at a gymnasium in the city of Fukushima, where evacuees of the nuclear crisis are sheltering. Wen and Lee had earlier toured other areas devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

It was the first visit by foreign leaders to the city, situated about 60 km from the nuclear plant, since the tsunami knocked out its reactor cooling systems, leading to radiation leaks and the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents.

Before entering the gymnasium to offer words of encouragement to the evacuees, Kan guided them to a table of locally grown vegetables and fruit.