© Reuters/Kyodo
Steam rises from Owakudani vallay at Mount Hakone where a small volcanic eruption took place, in Hakone town, west of Tokyo, in this aerial view photo taken by Kyodo June 30, 2015.
Steam rises from Owakudani vallay at Mount Hakone where a small volcanic eruption took place, in Hakone town, west of Tokyo, in this aerial view photo taken by Kyodo June 30, 2015.
Japan, one of the world's most seismically active nations, has suffered a recent spate of eruptions, including one that forced the evacuation of a southern island. In September, 63 people died when a peak crowded with hikers suddenly erupted.
Volcanic ash was spat from a valley on Mount Hakone, which has been belching out unusual amounts of steam in recent months, forcing officials to close part of the resort at the start of the spring tourist season.
There were no reports of injury or damage, and roughly 40 people were urged to evacuate.
Japan's Meteorological Agency raised the warning level on the mountain to 3 from 2, closing a broader area, and an agency official said activity in the area, some 80 km (50 miles) west of Tokyo, seemed to have risen "to a new level".
Comment: The flooding has also cause the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to close four locks on the Mississippi River bringing commercial barge traffic to a halt.