Japan raises eruption alert for volcano near nuclear plant

Japan raised an eruption alert for a volcano in the southern region of Kyushu to the second-highest level, days after restarting a nuclear reactor 50 kilometers (31 miles) away.

“The possibility for a large-scale eruption has become extremely high for Sakurajima”, the agency said, warning those who live nearby to exercise “strict caution” and be prepared for the possibility of an evacuation.

Mount Ontake in central Japan last year erupted unexpectedly, killing 63 people. “There is the danger that stones could rain down on areas near the mountain’s base, so we are warning residents of those areas to be ready to evacuate if needed”, the official added.

The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a warning on Saturday that residents who live near the Sakurajima volcano should be prepared to evacuate. Roughly 100 people could be affected. Right now that is limited to ~4,000 people on the same island as Sakurajima, but ash from any eruption (depending on the winds) could impact Kagoshima (population ~600,000), located only 10 kilometers from Sakurajima.

Kyushu Electric Power Co. began bringing online the No. 1 reactor at its Sendai power station on 11 August, the first nuclear facility to restart in Japan under new safety rules implemented following the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

There are scores of active volcanoes in Japan, which sits on the so-called “Ring of Fire”, where a large proportion of the world’s quakes and eruptions are recorded.