WASHINGTON, Jul. 3, 2009 (Xinhua News Agency) -- The United States on Friday welcomed the appointment of Japan's Yukiya Amano as the next director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"I would like to offer my congratulations to Yukiya Amano of Japan on his appointment as the next director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement.

Attaching importance to the Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog, Clinton said that that the IAEA "represents the premier international institution for promoting the safe and secure application of nuclear energy in the pursuit of prosperity, and working jointly on global challenges such as nuclear terrorism and proliferation."

The United States will help Amano "in ensuring that the agency is prepared to meet the growing challenges of the 21st century and has the appropriate resources and the authorities it needs to fulfill its mandate," the statement said.

The IAEA, founded in October 1957, currently has 146 member states. It elected Japanese Ambassador to the organization Yukiya Amano as its new director general on Thursday.

Amano's predecessor Mohamed ElBaradei, from Egypt, first served as the agency's chief in 1997, and was re-elected in 2001 and 2005. His third term would be due at the end of this year. Last year, ElBaradei stated he would not serve a fourth term.