IAEA Deploys Emergency Response Team; 58 Nations Mobilize Aid

The International Atomic Energy Agency activated its Incident and Emergency Centre and deployed a mission to Japan. Director General Yukiya Amano traveled to Japan and met with PM Kan on March 16. The US dispatched the Ronald Reagan carrier strike group offshore; the aircraft carrier conducted decontamination operations after sailors were exposed to radioactive plume. France, Russia, and China offered nuclear emergency assistance. The EU discussed emergency measures and the incident prompted Germany to shut down seven nuclear plants for safety review.