Japan Nuke Plant Spared by Quake

Japan appears to have dodged a bullet Thursday. A 7.1-magnitude earthquake didn’t have major destructive effects, a tsunami warning has been lifted, and efforts to stabilize the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have continued mostly uninterrupted. Workers at the facility are using coolant water and nitrogen injections to prevent a meltdown or a hydrogen explosion, and TEPCO, the plant’s owner, said they had not been disrupted. Radiation levels near the plant also appear normal. The quake struck about 16 miles from the coast of Miyagi prefecture, but was smaller than the 9.0-magnitude tremor that caused the massive tsunami. Still, buildings as far away as Tokyo shook.