Japan's Mount Shinmoedake
© GETTYJapan volcano: The volatile volcano erupted for the third time this year
JAPAN's volatile volcano Mount Shinmoedake roared back into life last night, choking out the skies with a monsters column of ash and smoke as high as 4,500m into the sky in the terrifying Ring of Fire region.

The southern Kyushu volcano erupted approximately at 2.44pm local time on Monday, belching grey smoke into the sky.

Mount Shinmoedake erupted for the second time since it reared its ugly head on April 6.

Local authorities advised all tourists and residents in the area to stay away amid fears of eruption hazards.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) in Fukuoka issued a Volcanic Alert Level 3 around the fiery mountain on Tuesday.

The JMA said: "Refrain from approaching the crater in following local municipalities: Miyazaki - Kobayashi-shi, Takaharu-cho and Kagoshima - Kirishima-shi."

A volcanic warning was also issued in the Miyazaki prefecture municipalities of Miyakonojo-shi and Ebino-shi.

A giant plume of smoke and ash blasted from the volcano's summit on Monday, reaching almost 15,000 feet or 4,500m hight.

Residents have been warned of falling rocks within a 1.8 miles radius of the volcano's summit.

Shinmoedake's eruption on Monday marks the third time the volcano blew since the start of the year.


The eruption follows growing concerns for the safety of Big Island, Hawaii, amid the eruption of Hawaii volcano Kilauea.


Comment: Kilaeua's newest fissure roars to life propelling lava four storeys high in dramatic uptick in activity


Shinmoedake volcano is part of the Mount Shinmoedake cluster of volcanoes in Kagoshima prefecture on Japan's southwestern-most island of Kyushu.

The belching volcano stands tall at an elevation of 1,421m.

In 1967, the volcano served as a centrepiece for the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice, starring Sean Connery as the titular British spy.

The volcano was used to depict a secret rocket silo operated by the film's villains.

Shinmoedake's last major eruptions occurred in January 2011 when the volcano spewed thick ash over the surrounding areas.

The violent eruption forced the closure of local railway routes and airline services - it was the largest Shinmoedake eruption since 1959.

A large eruption followed on March 6, 2018, launching hot rocks and ash into the sky.

Shinmoedake eruptions have been tracked as far back as 1716 and the volcano is believed to have formed between 7,300 and 25,000 years ago.

The volcano sits in the incredibly volatile Ring of Fire region - a chain of volcanoes and earthquake hotbeds around the rim of the Pacific Basin.

Roughly 90 percent of the world's earthquakes take place in the Ring of Fire.

The Ring of Fire is also home to more than 452 volcanoes which count for 75 percent of the world's active and dormant volcanoes.