Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Yukiya Amano has died, the organisation said in a statement published on the official website.
The IAEA has also published the latest reflections of the deceased chief as he expressed wish last week to step down the following year.
“During the past decade, the Agency delivered concrete results to achieve the objective of “Atoms for Peace and Development”, thanks to the support of Member States and the dedication of Agency staff. I am very proud of our achievements, and grateful to Member States and Agency staff.”
Mr Amano has frequently stressed that his agency's work is more technical than political.
Yukiya Amano was born in Yugawara, Japan in 1947. After graduating from the Tokyo University Faculty of Law, he joined the Japanese Foreign Ministry in 1972 and worked there until 2005, when he joined the IAEA as Japan's Resident Representative to the Agency.
Mr Amano assumed the office of the IAEA chief in 2009 after defeating South African representative Abdul Samad Minty following six-round voting.
He had extensive experience in disarmament and non-proliferation diplomacy, as well as nuclear energy issues.