The eruption Saturday of Mount Ontake, which straddles Nagano and Gifu prefectures, has reminded us that Japan is indeed a country with many volcanoes that could erupt unexpectedly.
It is imperative for central government organizations, especially the Meteorological Agency, and local authorities to learn lessons from the disaster at Mount Ontake in taking steps to limit casualties and damage in the future.
When the volcano erupted, the area near its 3,067-meter peak was crowded with some 300 climbers who had come to see the tinted autumnal leaves. Hot volcanic ash and cinders left at least 36 climbers confirmed or feared dead, and dozens more injured. Mount Ontake — long revered as a sacred volcano and a subject of mountain worship — had its first-ever eruption in recorded history in 1979 when it sent 200,000 tons of ash into the sky. That major eruption was followed by minor explosions in 1991 and 2007. Mount Ontake is now one of 47 volcanoes in Japan — of the 110 considered active — that are subject to around-the-clock monitoring.