A small eruption occurred at Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture on Saturday around 8:30 a.m. local time following a strong earthquake in the area, with smoke rising about 100 meters (300 feet) high, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The Japanese Meteorological Agency kept its alert level at 2 on a scale of 5 for Aso, which has had eruptions in the past.

It was unclear if the eruption was related to Saturday's quake, but officials at the meteorological agency were looking into any links.