International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts want to visit the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, IAEA Director General Yukiyo Amano said Thursday as he was leaving for Japan, DPA reported
Amano, who is Japanese, was travelling with six of the agency experts.
"We wish to go to the sites," he told reporters at Vienna airport. He left it open whether he would personally visit Fukushima.
Amano was expected to arrive in Tokyo around 10:40am on Friday (0140 GMT).
"I want to go to Japan because this is a very serious accident," he said.
The IAEA chief said he was still not sure whom he would be able to meet in Tokyo. On Wednesday he said he would like to raise the level of cooperation between the IAEA and Japan in a high-level meeting.
Although Amano is a former high-ranking Japanese Foreign Ministry official, he has been unable so far to get authorities there to speed up the flow of information to the IAEA and its member states.