Japan Brief/FPCJ, No. 0937
July 9, 2009


Ambassador Amano Elected Next Director General of the IAEA

At a special meeting of its Board of Governors on July 2, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) appointed Yukiya Amano (62), ambassador to the Permanent Mission of Japan to the International Organizations in Vienna, as the successor to incumbent Director General Mohamed ElBaradei. This is the first time for anyone from Japan, and indeed from Asia, to be appointed as head of the IAEA, the pillar of international activities aimed at promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy and preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons. After being approved at the IAEA General Conference in September, Amano will be officially appointed as the organization’s fifth director general in December.

At a press conference on July 3, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura welcomed Amano’s appointment, saying, “I am delighted that he has gained broad support from the international community and enhanced his international presence.” At a separate press conference on the same day, Minister for Foreign Affairs Hirofumi Nakasone clarified the Japanese government’s intention to strengthen its cooperation with the IAEA, stating, “Japan, as the only country to have ever suffered the devastation of atomic bombings, is leading the efforts of the organization. I think it is natural that Japan strongly supports the IAEA in various aspects, all the more so when Ambassador Amano, a Japanese official, assumes the office of director general.”

Prolonged Election of the Next Director General and the IAEA’s Internal Situation

The IAEA was founded in 1957 as a UN-related international organization charged with promoting the peaceful use of atomic energy and implementing safeguard measures to prevent the conversion of nuclear facilities to military purposes. Because of the nature of its activities, it has been dubbed the “nuclear watchdog.” The IAEA’s top decision-making body is its Board of Governors, which consists of 35 of the 146 member states. The director general is elected with the support of two-thirds or more of the members of the Board of Governors. Voting in the Board of Governors in March of this year was not conclusive, so the election of a new director general was carried over to the latest meeting.

According to local reports in Japan’s major newspapers, a conflict between the developed countries and the developing countries lay behind this prolongation of the election process. The Yomiuri Shimbun (July 3) reported, “Many developing countries apparently voted against Amano because they saw him as a representative of the developed countries.” It continued, “The outcome reflects the confrontational structure within the IAEA. On the one hand, the developed countries possess nuclear energy technology and emphasize the strengthening of the nuclear nonproliferation regime. On the other hand, the developing countries are worried that their use of nuclear energy will be limited.”

The Mainichi Shimbun (July 4, evening edition) reported Amano’s press conference on July 3 in detail. At the press conference Amano spoke about his eagerness to address the immediate issues facing the IAEA, saying that he would tackle difficult problems in a fair, impartial, and professional manner. He also emphasized that Japan does not possess nuclear weapons and has made the utmost efforts toward nuclear arms reduction and nuclear nonproliferation. Amano noted that Japan also has an excellent track record in the peaceful use of atomic energy and that sharing Japan’s experience as a model with the rest of the world would be very meaningful.

Major Newspaper Editorials

Japan’s five major newspapers all carried editorials on July 4 relating to Amano’s election as IAEA director general. Almost in unison they stressed the significance of the leader of the IAEA, the nuclear watchdog, being from Japan, the only country to have suffered atomic bombings, but they also remarked that the new director general will face a mountain of difficult problems.

The Yomiuri editorial commented, “The IAEA is an important international body tasked with promoting the peaceful use of nuclear power while also preventing the diversion of nuclear technology to military purposes. ElBaradei and the organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.” “However,” it continued, “the IAEA has failed in every undertaking it attempted to stop the nuclear development programs of North Korea and Iran. . . . What should be done to devise and implement workable nonproliferation measures aimed at stopping other countries from following in the footsteps of North Korea and Iran? This weighty responsibility rests on Amano’s shoulders.”

The Asahi Shimbun editorial observed, “As US President Barack Obama has pledged to strive for a ‘world without nuclear weapons,’ the global situation surrounding nuclear arms now faces a turning point. It is appropriate for Amano to head the IAEA at this important juncture. He is well regarded internationally for his expertise and experience in nuclear power generation and nuclear inspections.” It concluded, “Amano will be the head of an international organization and won’t represent Japan. Still, the government should provide as much support as possible to the new IAEA chief by playing active roles in enhancing the nuclear watchdog agency and promoting nuclear nonproliferation. Amano’s election is welcome news which should be used to promote Japan’s effort to boost its diplomatic clout.”

Touching on the confrontation within the IAEA between the developed countries, centering on the nuclear weapons states, and the developing countries, which are calling for the expanded use of nuclear energy, the Mainichi editorial stated, “First of all the new director general will be required to demonstrate his skills by eliminating these doubts among developing countries and coordinating national interests that are intertwined in a convoluted manner.” On the present situation in which the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which prohibits the possession of nuclear weapons by any country other than the five nuclear powers (the United States, Britain, France, Russia, and China), is losing substance, the Mainichi cautioned, “While nuclear arms reduction by the nuclear weapons states is not making much progress, the nonnuclear weapons states and the developing countries are dissatisfied and feel it is unfair that the use of nuclear energy in countries other than the five nuclear powers is strictly limited.”

The Nikkei editorial welcomed Amano’s election, saying, “Japan is the only country in the world to have suffered atomic bombings. At the same time, it has the highest number of nuclear power generation plants after the United States and France. And it is the largest financial contributor to the IAEA after the United States, accounting for about 16% of the total. Despite that, Japanese account for only around 2% of the IAEA’s staff, which cannot be called adequate. We are delighted that Japan will occupy the post of director general and will be able to show its presence.”

The Sankei Shimbun editorial requested, “Today, when the exhaustion of oil resources has come into view, coupled with measures to combat global warming, expectations for nuclear energy are increasing. As the representative of Japan, which consistently since World War II has stuck to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and has an excellent track record in nuclear power generation and the nuclear fuel cycle project, we hope that Amano will be able to make his presence felt.”

(Copyright 2009 Foreign Press Center, Japan)

*Japan Brief is an original production of the Foreign Press Center, Japan, and does not represent the views of the Government of Japan or of any other body.


<Related Articles>
-UN Security Council Adopts Sanctions Resolution Against North Korea(2009-06-17)
-North Korea Conducts Second Nuclear Test(2009-05-26)
-Foreign Minister Nakasone Proposes “11 Benchmarks” for Global Nuclear Disarmament(2009-04-29)
-UN Security Council Adopts Presidential Statement Condemning North Korea(2009-04-15)
-US President Obama Lays Out Overall Strategy Toward Nuclear-Free World(2009-04-09)