Sakurajima volcano in southwestern Japan erupts again

TOKYO - A volcano on Sakurajima in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, erupted for a second straight day early on Monday, after evacuation orders were issued the previous day, the weather agency said.

Following the latest eruption, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) raised its eruption alert for the volcano two notches to the highest level of 5 on its warning system.

An evacuation order was initially issued to residents of the towns of Arimura and Furusato, both in the vicinity of the volcano, with the JMA saying that large volcanic rocks could fall in parts of Kagoshima City within 3 kilometers of two craters.

The weather agency also said people should be on the alert for pyroclastic flows within a radius of about 2 kilometers of the volcano.

"Volcanic activities of Sakurajima are becoming intense. People in residential areas should be on the highest alert for large volcanic rocks falling nearby," a JMA official told a press briefing.

There were no reports of injury or damage from Sunday's eruption that occurred at around 8:05 p.m. local time (1105 GMT) the previous day, although the agency reiterated its evacuation warning.

Sakurajima is one of Japan's most active volcanoes.

It previously erupted in January, spewing a plume of volcanic ash kilometers into the air.

The volcano is located in the Kagoshima Prefecture on the southern tip of Japan and is connected to the Osumi Peninsula on Kyushu, the country's southwestern main island.

The government is continuing to assess the situation and a task force has been set up at the prime minister's office to monitor the situation.