Japan's ambassador to the IAEA, Amano will become director-general on December 1 [AFP]

Amano's appointment was approved by the 150 members of the UN's nuclear watchdog on Monday, the first day of the agency's weeklong conference.

The 62-year-old is currently Japan's ambassador to the IAEA. He is to to replace Mohamed ElBaradei at the end of November after the Egyptian's 12 years in office.

Welcoming his appointment, Amano said on Tuesday that he would "not work for Japan. I will work for the interests of the international community".

He pointed out that he came from the only country ever to have been hit by the atomic bomb.

Amano was chosen by the IAEA's 35-member board of governors, its main decision-making body, in July. But his appointment had to be adopted by all member states.
 
The change in leadership comes at a crucial time for the agency.

Little progress has been made with North Korea in recent months. India and Pakistan appear unlikely to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel refuses to even discuss its atomic arsenal and the agency is not in a position to ascertain the true nature of Iran's nuclear programme.

However, Iran and six major world powers agreed to hold talks on  October 1 at a still unspecified venue to try to resolve the long-running standoff.

When questioned about his policy priorities, Amano refused to make any concrete statements.

"I'm not yet responsible for the operation," he said, pointing out that ElBaradei was still in charge", he said.

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