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© Kyodo/REUTERSThe erupting volcano off Nishinoshima island in the Ogasawara archipelago, Japan, an area rich with mineral resources.
A tiny new islet has been created in Japan after a dramatic volcanic eruption in the Pacific Ocean. The news was confirmed by officials on Thursday. It has happened for the first time that the nation has come across such a phenomenon. Smoke was spotted by the Navy to have engulfed 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) south of Tokyo on Wednesday. Birth of the islet was verified later on by Japan's coastguard around the Ogasawara island chain.

Plumes of smoke ash billowing from the 200-metre island can be witnessed through a video. "Smoke is still rising from the volcanic island, and we issued a navigation warning to say that this island has emerged with ash falling in the area", said a spokesman for the maritime agency.


He was of the view that the islet is not likely to remain there for as long period of time. However, there are chances that due to solidification and surfaces of enough volcanic lava, a new entry could be marked on the map.

When Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was asked about the addition, he replied that if this becomes a solid land, the country's territorial waters will see the expansion. The size of the islet has been reported to be 660 ft by Japan's coast guard and the country's Meteorological Agency.
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Location of the new island 620 miles south of Tokyo