Japanese volcanoes wake up after years of sleep

The volcano of southwestern Japan erupted for the first time after 6 years of decommissioning, covering ash to nearby cities and towns.

Shinmoe volcano in the Kirishima Mountains lies on the border of Kagoshima and Miyazaki provinces, Japan, erupting violently after 6 years of decommissioning on October 11, according to Japan Times. The Japan Meteorological Agency raised the alert level of Shinmoe volcanic activity to level 3 in the nation's 5-level warning ladder. Level 5, the highest warning level, calls for people to evacuate.

The Shinmoe volcano erupted.(Video: YouTube).

The Shinmoe volcano area began to show small earthquakes since the end of September, due to the movement of magma and hot underground water. This caused the Japan Meteorological Agency to raise a warning to level 2 on October 5 to limit people entering the area near the crater. The Japanese government established a liaison unit at the Prime Minister's office to gather information.

The eruption created a 300m-high column of ash above the crater. According to local police, a small amount of volcanic ash fell into three cities and Takaharu town in Miyazaki but has not recorded any casualties. At Takaharu, many passersby have to use umbrellas to shield the volcanic ash.

Shinmoe volcano erupted after 6 years of inactivity, covering ash to nearby cities and towns.(Photo: AP).

The last major eruption of Shinmoe volcano occurred on September 7, 2011. Yoshinari Imanishi, a 66-year-old senior official working at the local Tourism Association, expressed concern about the possible damage when Shinmoe volcano woke up.

"Six years ago, the Shinmoe volcano made us evacuate. Hopefully this eruption will not affect the beautiful autumn scene here," Imanishi said.