UN nuclear watchdog says no major damage to quake-hit Japanese plant

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
There was no significant damage to a nuclear plant in northern Japan shuttered since last summer after it was hit by a strong earthquake, the UN nuclear watchdog agency said Friday. A 12-member team from the International Atomic Energy Agency drew that conclusion after a four-day visit to Tokyo and the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear complex, which was rocked by a magnitude-6.8 quake July 16. The quake, which killed 11 people and injured more than 1,000, caused malfunctions and leaks at the plant - the world's largest by capacity - and raised concerns about safety at Japan's nuclear power stations. "The first objective of the team has been to confirm that there appears to be no significant damage to the integrity of the plant," team leader Phillipe Jamet said in a statement.