Hiroko Tabuchi Matthew L Wald New York Times

• Third blast at N-plant, Japan faces potential nuclear disaster

  Japan's nuclear crisis verged toward catastrophe on Tuesday, after an explosion at one crippled reactor damaged its crucial steel containment structure and a fire at another reactor spewed large amounts of radioactive material into the air, according to official statements and industry executives informed about the developments. Fortunately, the pr...

• Japan scrambles to prevent full meltdown at crippled nuclear reactors

  Three days after a massive earthquake and tsunami, the Japanese authorities were still struggling on Sunday to avoid full meltdowns at a plant with two stricken reactors on Japan's coast. (See Pics: Japan quake triggers Tsunami)As of Sunday night, technicians' increasingly desperate measures to keep the reactors from overheating, and possibly melti...

• Japan earthquake: Nuclear crisis spreads to fourth plant

  Japanese officials struggled on Sunday to contain a quickly escalating nuclear crisis in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake and tsunami, saying they presumed that partial meltdowns had occurred at two crippled reactors, and that they were bracing for a second explosion, even as they appeared to face cooling problems at two more plants and in...

• Japan quake: Officials scramble to avert meltdowns as nuclear crisis deepens

  Japanese officials struggled on Sunday to contain a widening nuclear crisis in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake and tsunami, saying they presumed that partial meltdowns had occurred at two crippled reactors and that they were bracing for a second explosion, even as they faced serious cooling problems at four more reactors. (Watch: Explosio...