Tokyo.- The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) raised the volcanic alert for Mount Aso this Friday, in southwestern Japan, after detecting an increase in tremors at the volcano in recent days.
Level 3 alert
The state agency declared volcanic alert level three, out of a maximum of five, which restricts access to the mountain due to the risk of volcanic rock ejection and pyroclastic flows within a two-kilometer radius.
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The increase in tremors began on Wednesday afternoon and subsequent field studies confirmed an increase in the amount of volcanic gas released, which is why the JMA warned of the possibility of an eruption.
More tremors and gas emission
Following the issuance of the alert, the executive of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced the creation of an information office regarding volcanic activity at Mount Aso to facilitate communication between government agencies.
Mount Aso, nearly 1,600 meters high, is located in Kumamoto prefecture, in a sparsely populated area within a national park on the island of Kyushu.
Japan is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire and has about 110 active volcanoes in its territory, according to the JMA definition, which considers any volcano that “has erupted in the last 10,000 years or where fumaroles have been recorded recently” to be “active”.
