Disarmament veteran new head of IAEA

Yukiya Amano is a 62 year-old Japanese multilateral disarmament specialist, a diplomatic branch in which he has worked for the past 36 years.

He took part in the 1995 Non-Proliferation Treaty talks, the Nuclear Test BAn treaty the following year, and the Biological Weapons Convention in 2001.

He believes the fact that he is Japanese gives him a unique and tragic distinction outlook on the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Amano said: “I come from a country that has the experience of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and I have a firm commitment to non-proliferation, and this commitment will be reflected. I do not mean that Mr. Minty (another candidate) is different, but I am from the country of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and that is a very particular point in my candidacy.”

He has a reputation as a reserved technocrat, close to the US and the Europeans where Iran is concerned. He is committed to following the UN’s technical mandate for the IAEA: inspections to avoid proliferation, and the encouragement of nuclear energy.

This management brief is designed to “de-politicise” the IAEA after the 12-year mandate of Amano’s predecessor, whose positions often irritated Washington and its closest allies. But it did not prevent the agency winning the Nobel peace prize four years ago.

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tags: Elections, IAEA