VIENNA: The UN atomic agency's board of governors on Wednesday approved giving Japanese director general Yukiya Amano a new four-year term without even resorting to a vote.

In 2009, the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-member board had needed six rounds of voting to select Amano for his first term, with developing countries worried he would be too pro-western.

This time however the 65-year-old's second term, which will start in December following approval from all 159 IAEA members in September — a formality — passed by consensus, meaning no vote was taken.

“I am deeply grateful for the trust that the board of governors placed in me once again,” Amano told reporters.

In the eyes of many developing countries in 2009, Amano's good points included his undisputed expertise in nuclear matters and the fact that he came from the only country to have been bombed with a nuclear device.—AFP