Yukiya Amano, former Japanese diplomat and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Chief, passes away

Yukiya Amano ( 72), the former Japanese diplomat and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Chief, has passed away on 23rd July 2019. He had been chief of the key U.N. agency that regulates nuclear issues worldwide since 2009. It is not yet clear who will succeed Amano on an interim basis. During his tenure, Amano oversaw the signing of a landmark deal in 2015 between Iran and six major powers — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States — under which the Islamic republic agreed to curb its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. As Head of the IAEA, Amano also dealt with the aftermath of the devastating 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan. Amano had wide experience in disarmament, non-proliferation diplomacy and nuclear energy.