Japan’s Sakurajima volcano erupts, sending 4.4 km plume into sky; alert issued and flights cancelled | Watch

A volcano on Sakurajima in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, erupted early Sunday, sending a plume of ash and smoke up to 4,400 metres into the air, Kyodo News reported, citing the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The eruption began shortly after 12:57 am at the Minamidake crater and marked the first plume above 4,000 metres since October 18 last year.

The activity continued through the morning, prompting ashfall forecasts for parts of Kagoshima, Kumamoto, and Miyazaki prefectures. Local authorities said no injuries or structural damage had been reported. Large volcanic rocks reached as far as the fifth station, though the JMA confirmed no pyroclastic flows had occurred. The alert level remains at three out of five, restricting access to the mountain.
The JMA said volcanic ash drifted northeast following the latest blasts, and ashfall was expected in Kagoshima and Miyazaki. Local media reported that around 30 flights to and from Kagoshima Airport were cancelled due to ash and related disruptions.

Sakurajima, located near the city of Kagoshima on Kyushu’s southern tip, erupted multiple times on Sunday, with additional explosions recorded at about 2:30 am and 8:50 am. It is one of Japan’s most active volcanoes, with frequent eruptions; in 2019, it produced ash clouds as high as 5.5 km.

The volcano, once an island, became connected to the Osumi Peninsula after a 1914 lava flow created a land bridge.

The recent eruption comes months after the Japanese government released a computer-generated simulation of a major Mt. Fuji eruption to raise public preparedness. The video warns of widespread disruption to infrastructure following an event on the scale of the 1707 eruption.