Health minister from the three countries signed the accord in Tokyo. The food safety memorandum was inked following the contamination scandal last year involving Chinese dumplings.
Under the deal, the three nations agreed to notify each other immediately if a food safety problem surfaces and to clarify the process of investigation, said a joint statement.
The Japanese are still pressing Chinese authorities to investigate the January 2008 incidents involving pesticide-tainted frozen dumplings. Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has supported closer ties with China but has also stressed that concerns over the safety of imported Chinese food were an “obstacle” between the nations