IAEA : Fukushima office still under consideration

The International Atomic Energy Agency said it is giving careful consideration to Japan's request to open an office in Fukushima Prefecture but that it has not decided on any details, dismissing reports which it said have misquoted its chief Yukiya Amano. ''''The IAEA will consult as necessary on this matter,'''' the UN nuclear watchdog said in a press statement Monday in response to recent media reports that IAEA Director General Amano has expressed the intention to establish an office in Fukushima, Japan''s News Agency (Kyodo) reported today. Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said on January 22 that the government had asked the IAEA to open an office in Fukushima, where Japan continues to tackle the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.