The Meteorological Agency maintained its highest alert level Monday after an explosive eruption the previous day at Sakurajima in Kagoshima Prefecture, although there were no reports of injuries.
The agency said late Sunday that it was not currently expecting a large eruption similar to one at the same volcano in 1914 that caused a large number of deaths.
It called on residents to be on high alert after a large rock flew around 2.5 kilometers from a crater, while warning that pyroclastic flows could occur within a 2-km radius of two craters.