Akhir 07, 1432 H/March 12, 2011, SPA -- Germany is to conduct a thorough inspection of its nuclear plants, following the explosion at an atomic power plant in Japan, dpa quoted Chancellor angela Merkel as saying on Saturday. "What happened in Japan is a turning point for the world," Merkel said in Berlin, hours after the earthquake-related blast at the Fukushima reactor in north-eastern Japan. She said Germany could not carry on business as usual when such an accident happened in an advanced nation like Japan with the highest safety standards.