Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoVIENNA / JAPAN NUCLEAR WRAP
Download
There is no media available to download.
Share
STORY: VIENNA / JAPAN NUCLEAR WRAP
TRT: 2.00
SOURCE: IAEA
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 28 MARCH 2011, VIENNA INTERNATIONAL CENTRE, VIENNA, AUSTRIA/ FILE
FILE – RECENT, VIENNA, AUSTRIA
1. Wide shot, IAEA Headquarters
28 MARCH 2011, VIENNA INTERNATIONAL CENTRE, VIENNA, AUSTRIA
2. Wide shot, conference room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Yukiya Amano, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General:
“The crisis is not yet over, but we need to start thinking about the future. Once the situation has been stabilized, the Agency would like to send an international expert mission to conduct an assessment of the accident. This should include an element of peer review. The Fukushima crisis has confronted the Agency and international community with a major challenge. It is vitally important that we learn the right lessons of what happened on March 11 and afterwards in order to strengthen nuclear safety throughout the world.”
4. Med shot, delegates
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Yukiya Amano, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General:
“Considering the lessons that need to be learned, launching the process of strengthening nuclear safety and strengthening the response to nuclear accidents and emergencies, the work ahead will be substantial. I firmly believe that the IAEA is the best venue for follow up on the Fukushima accident.”
6. Med shot, reverse view of Amano in front of cameramen
7. Med shot, delegates
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Graham Andrew, Special Adviser to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General on Scientific and Technical Affairs:
“An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 occurred at 22:23 UTC on the 27th of March near the east coast of Honshu. NISA has confirmed that there have been no abnormal radiation readings at the Onagawa nuclear plant, the closest to the epicentre, whose three units remain in cold shutdown since the earthquake of 11 of March. As of 02:30 UTC today, there were no reports of any problems at nuclear plants in Japan related to the latest seismic event.”
9. Med shot, delegates
The head of the United Nations agency that coordinates global nuclear safety today (28 March) called for a high-level conference within three months to strengthen safety measures and emergency responses in light of the Japanese power plant crisis.
Referring to the earthquake and tsunami stricken nuclear power plant that has been spewing radioactive contamination into the environment since 11 March, UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano told a news briefing at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna that “the crisis is not yet over” but there is a need “to start thinking about the future.”
Amano said that the Fukushima crisis has confronted the Agency and international community with “a major challenge” and it is “vitally important that we learn the right lessons of what happened on March 11 and afterwards in order to strengthen nuclear safety throughout the world.”
Outlining the meeting’s agenda he cited an initial assessment of the accident, its impact and consequences; lessons that need to be learned; launching the process of strengthening nuclear safety; and strengthening the response to nuclear accidents in an emergency.
The Director General said that “the work ahead will be substantial” and the IAEA, which has 151 Member States, “is the best venue for follow up on the Fukushima accident.”
Amano noted that many countries had joined the call for robust follow-up action that he made at a meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors a week ago following his visit to Japan, in which he stressed the need to reassess the international emergency response framework for dealing with nuclear power plant accidents and to improve communications.
He said the situation remains very serious and the IAEA is has two radiation monitoring teams on the ground and a joint IAEA-UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) food safety team meeting with officials in affected prefectures.
At a later press conference, IAEA Special Advisor Graham Andrew provided details of the latest seismic event in Japan, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake which took place yesterday evening. Andrew said that the Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) has confirmed that there have been “no abnormal radiation readings at the Onagawa nuclear plant, the closest to the epicentre”.
He added that there were “no reports of any problems at nuclear plants in Japan related to the latest seismic event.”
It was the destruction of power lines by the quake and tsunami and the subsequent failure of back-up diesel generators to pump in cooling water that caused the nuclear reactors to overheat and release radiation into the environment.
