It was the parents who could not stand it anymore. Akira Mitani and his wife, Eriko, told their 8-year-old son, Shohei, last month that he could start living with them again at any time.

Until recently, the boy was one of about 360 children staying at Akikawa High School in Akiruno, western Tokyo, after volcanic activity prompted them to evacuate Miyake Island, about 180 km south of Tokyo, in late August.

The boarding school, originally scheduled to close next March due to declining enrollment, reopened its dormitories to take in the young evacuees.