“Residential areas of the cities of Arimura and Furusato, located within a three-kilometer radius of Sakurajima’s crater, should be on maximum alert,” the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
The Japan Meteorological Agency on Sunday raised its alert to the highest level after the eruption of the Sakurajima volcano in the southern city of Kagoshima prompted dozens of residents of the mountainous region to evacuate their homes.
The agency raised its alert for Sakurajima to the highest level, level 5. Before the eruption of the volcano, which occurred on Sunday after 20:00 local time (14:00 Greek time), the alert was at level 3, which prohibits access to the mountain.
“Residential areas of the cities of Arimura and Furusato, located within a three-kilometer radius of Sakurajima’s crater, should be on maximum alert,” the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said.
The two towns have a population of 77, according to the Kagoshima municipality.
Television images showed lava flows and ash spewing from the volcano.
An explosion spewed ash about 2.5 kilometers from the crater, JMA said, while smoke from the volcano rose nearly 300 meters and mixed with clouds.
No damage was reported at this time, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki said.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called on the government to “work closely with the municipality to ensure damage prevention”.
The Sakurajima volcano, which often emits smoke and ash, is one of Japan’s most famous tourist attractions.
The country has many active volcanoes. It is located in the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, where many of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are recorded there.
Sakurajima was once an island, but due to past eruptions, it is now connected to a peninsula.
The last time Japan issued an evacuation warning raising the volcano alert to maximum was when Kuchinoerabu Island erupted in 2015.
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