Yamagata (Japan), Mar 18 (AP) The International Atomic Energy Agency chief says he views Japan's nuclear crisis as an extremely serious accident requiring international cooperation.

IAEA chief Yukiya Amano today said that he plans to meet with top Japanese officials and to visit the area struck by the devastating earthquake and tsunami a week ago that knocked out power for the cooling systems at a nuclear power plant, setting off Japan's crisis.

Amano is accompanied by a four-member team of experts.

He said: "We see it as an extremely serious accident.

The international community is extremely concernced about this issue, and it's important to cooperate in dealing with it.