Volcano in southwestern Japan erupts for 1st time in 6 years

A volcano on the southwestern main island of Kyushu erupted early Wednesday for the first time in six years, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to raise its volcanic alert level.Mt. Shinmoe, straddling the borders of Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, had been showing intensifying volcanic activity, such as an increasing number of volcanic earthquakes, since late last month, the agency said. The eruption occurred at around 5:34 a.m., with the plume rising about 300 meters above the crater. A small amount of ash fell in three cities and the town of Takaharu in Miyazaki but no injuri…READ FULL ARTICLE