Statement by Mr. Katsuya Okada, Minister for Foreign Affairs, on the Assumption of Office of Mr. Yukiya Amano, Former Ambassador in charge of Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Energy as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

December 1, 2009
Japanese

On December 1, Mr. Yukiya Amano, Former Ambassador in charge of Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Energy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was inaugurated as the 5th Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Amidst the current surge of momentum in the international community in the areas of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, I am both sincerely and profoundly pleased that the First ever Director General from Japan, as well as from Asia, will now lead the Agency which aims at both ensuring nuclear non-proliferation and encouraging peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
The IAEA is faced with a variety of challenges including the nuclear issues in North Korea and Iran as well as the necessity to strengthen technical cooperation for nuclear energy in order to address global issues in fields such as medicine, food provision, and the environment. Japan expects that, as the head of the IAEA, newly-appointed Director General Amano will actively address these challenges and sufficiently fulfill his responsibilities.
In order to support the efforts of newly-appointed Director General Amano, the Government of Japan intends to work together with other member states for the strengthening of the IAEA.

(END)