A small eruption on Mount Aso shot smoke as high as 1,600 meters over Kyushu on Friday, the Meteorological Agency said.

The eruption in Kumamoto Prefecture was the first since the small eruptions on April 16 and April 19. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The latest one occurred at 3:40 p.m. at the No. 1 Nakadake crater, the agency said.

The volcanic alert level for Mount Aso remains at 2 on a scale of 1 to 5. This means municipalities have restricted access to areas within 1 km of the crater.