IAEA to actively support decontamination in Japan

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said his organization will continue to actively support decontamination efforts in Japan. IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano made the comment in an interview with Japan's news agency (NHK) in Vienna, ahead of the first anniversary of the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. Amano said the accident served as a wake-up call and countries across the world share the view that they have to improve safety features at nuclear power plants. He noted that safety has been heightened globally thanks to measures implemented by all countries using nuclear power. On the question of how well the Japanese government handled the crisis, the IAEA chief stressed the importance of disclosing public safety information. He said this is vital in order to restore confidence in nuclear power generation. Amano said the main lessons from the Fukushima accident were how to ensure transparency and disclose timely information, whether good or bad. He expressed the IAEA's intention to send experts and support decontamination efforts, so that displaced people can return home as soon as possible.