Aug 26 (NHK) - A minor eruption has occurred at Mount Asama in central Japan. The mountain straddles Nagano and Gunma prefectures.
The Meteorological Agency says the eruption was observed at around 7:28 p.m. on Sunday. Smoke rose to a height of around 600 meters from the crater.
The volcano last erupted on August 7. The agency then raised the volcanic alert level to three on a scale of one to five, and urged people to stay away from the mountain.
The agency lowered the alert level to two on Monday, saying there was a lower risk of medium-size eruptions.
Agency officials say they will keep the alert level at two, citing the risk of minor eruptions.
They say people within two kilometers of the crater should stay alert for large flying rocks and pyroclastic flows of hot gas.
