© Perth NowJapan's meteorological agency has warned Kyushu residents to stay away after Mount Aso erupted.
The explosive eruption occurred around 1:46 a.m. on one of the peaks of the 1,592-meter mountain, the Meteorological Agency said. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
It was the first explosive eruption at that particular peak since January 1980.
The agency raised the alert level for the volcano to level 3 on a scale of 5 and urged people not to approach the mountain.
Footage on NHK public television showed orange flames billowing from several locations on the mountaintop as the volcano emitted thick gray smoke into the sky.
There are no houses within the off-limit area and no injuries or major damage have been reported in nearby towns, though buildings and cars were covered with thick ash. No flights were affected.
A window at a youth center just a few kilometers away from the mountain suffered a crack apparently from volcanic rocks.
Masaaki Yamamoto, a manager at the center, told NHK that he heard small volcanic rocks hitting the exterior of the building, and found a crack in the window along with nearby chunks of volcanic debris about the size of golf balls.
© KyodoSmoke rises from a crater on Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture after the volcano belched a column of ash 11,000meters into the air early Saturday.
"Mount Aso is in an unstable condition and could erupt again on the same scale," an agency official told reporters, warning residents of volcanic ash, rocks and gas.
It is unclear whether the eruption was related to powerful earthquakes that hit Kumamoto and neighboring Oita Prefecture in April, killing 49 people, the official said.
The government of the city of Aso opened shelters at 10 locations and the central government set up a liaison center in the Prime Minister's Office.
On Mount Aso, three tourists were killed by large rocks thrown up in an eruption in September 1979. An eruption with pyroclastic flows was also observed in September 2015.
Japan, with scores of active volcanoes, sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where a large proportion of the world's quakes and volcanic eruptions are recorded.
On Sept. 27, 2014, Japan suffered its deadliest eruption in almost 90 years when Mount Ontake, in Nagano Prefecture, burst unexpectedly to life.
An estimated 63 people were killed in the shock eruption that occurred as the peak was packed with hikers out to see the region's spectacular autumn colors.
The country has around a dozen volcanic warnings in effect at present.
Source: AFP-JIJI, AP
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