Volcano
A Japanese volcano has just erupted. Pictured: This picture taken on January 1, 2019 shows the Anak (Child) Krakatoa volcano, which caused the December 22, 2018 tsunami, erupting in the Sunda Straits between the main islands of Java and Sumatra. Getty Images/Azwar Ipank

A volcano in Kuchinoerabu Island in the Kagoshima Prefecture of Japan has just erupted, spewing smoke and ash into the air.

On Jan. 17, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued an alert to warn climbers and others in Kuchinoerabu to take cover after a volcano in the southwestern Japan island erupted at around 9:20 a.m local time, according to Kyodo News. Videos and photos of the volcano spitting out ash and smoke have been shared on Twitter.

This is just the latest of several large eruptions on the island that started last month.

On Dec. 18, Mount Shindake in Kuchinoerabu-jima also erupted, with volcanic ash rising up to 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) above the crater, according to The Watchers. Large rocks were also seen coming out from the crater. This had been the largest eruption in a series of small ones that started October last year.

"After regular small eruptions for many weeks and then a complete pause in activity this appears to be the largest explosive eruption there in quite a while," said James Reynolds of EarthUncutTV.

JMA had placed the active volcano on a level 3 warning, which means people were advised not to approach it, since Aug. 29, 2018.

According to public broadcaster NHK (via Channel News Asia), no injuries or damage has been reported as a result of the eruption so far. Jun Fujimatsu, an official at the meteorological agency's volcanic activity division, said that this latest eruption on the island had a "wider impact" than the ones that occurred these past weeks.

We have maintained a level three warning, which means a ban on entering the volcano area," he told AFP.

"There are several craters at the volcano ... The danger zone is two kilometers from the Shindake crater," he added. "We do not think the latest eruption would engulf the entire island."

Located 130 kilometers (70 miles) from Kagoshima, Kuchinoerabu-jima is an active volcano that has erupted several times within the last 100 years. One of its most devastating eruptions happened on Dec. 24, 1933, when the lava that spewed from its volcano buried several villages and killed several people.

The main crater's eruption on May 29, 2015 caused a level 5 alert to be set on the island.

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