Jun 26 (NHK) - Japan's Meteorological Agency has raised the volcanic alert for Mt. Asama in eastern Japan to level 2, restricting access to the vicinity of the crater, as volcanic activity has increased in recent days.
Mt. Asama straddles Nagano and Gunma prefectures.
Level 2 is the second-lowest alert on a scale of 5.
The alert was raised on Thursday afternoon, with relatively minor eruptions possible in the near future. The Agency warns that an eruption could send large cinders and a flow of super-heated gas and molten rocks down to areas within 2 kilometers of the crater.
Since last Saturday, the Agency has detected continued shifting of the ground under the volcano, as well as an increase in volcanic earthquakes that are close to the surface.
A total of 59 such earthquakes were recorded on Wednesday, and 69 had been detected on Thursday as of 2 p.m.
Last August, a minor eruption occurred at Mt. Asama when the eruption alert was at its lowest, level 1. The alert was then raised to level 3, with access to the mountain restricted. In November, the alert was lowered to level 1 again.
