3 Nations Vow to Raise Nuclear Issue in Tokyo

Japan, West Germany and Italy vowed today to raise the issue of nuclear safety at the Tokyo summit despite concerns by the United States that the Soviet atomic disaster will overshadow terrorism at the meetings.

The annual summits began in 1975 as an economic forum, but this year’s session is taking place during a time of intense worldwide concern over terrorism and the Soviet nuclear plant disaster.

Japanese, Italian and West German leaders said they want the nuclear issue to be a major topic of discussion at the summit, but Secretary of State George P. Shultz said he does not want the Chernobyl accident to dominate the talks.

“There has been a lot of diplomatic exchange with other allies on the nuclear accident,” Shultz said before leaving Bali, Indonesia.

‘Lots of Other Things’

“Undoubtedly, the subject will get discussed at the summit meeting, although we have lots of other things to discuss at the summit meeting. We don’t want to have it dominated by this accident, important though the accident may be,” he said.

Italian Prime Minister Bettino Craxi said Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone will raise the issue of nuclear safety during the summit and call for safeguards to be stepped up.

“It wasn’t on the agenda, but it will be by necessity now,” Craxi said after a meeting with Nakasone. “Current international safeguards are not sufficient to ensure safety.”

Safety Talks ‘Long Overdue’

In Bangkok, West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl said he will insist that “long overdue” discussions on nuclear safety be held at the summit.

“I will insist that we discuss what must be discussed,” Kohl said at the end of a three-day official visit to Thailand. “It is an illusion to believe it is possible to conceal these things, to hide these things.”