IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano spoke at a ceremony commemorating the first anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. He said he was "deeply shocked and saddened by the devastation and the great loss of life" which the disaster inflicted on the country. Referring to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which was crippled as a result of the tsunami, he said the IAEA had been "a steadfast partner for Japan" and would continue to do everything it could to help overcome the effects of the accident in the coming years. The event, which was organised by the Permanent Mission of Japan to the International Organizations in Vienna, took place at the Vienna International Centre.