GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Mount Aso Volcano Erupts Following Violent Earthquake Streak In Japan - Plumes Of Smoke Rose Over 100 Meters Into The Sky! [PHOTOS + VIDEOS]

© Kyodo / Reuters

April 16, 2016 - JAPAN - After a series of deadly earthquakes in Japan, a “small-scale” eruption of Mount Aso has been recorded by the Japan Meteorological Agency.

However, it decided to keep the alert level at 2, as it was not immediately clear whether the natural disasters were related. Plumes of smoke rose some 100 meters into the sky, according to local media and videos captured by witnesses.

© Associated Press

The eruption of Mt. Aso, located in southern Japan, was recorded at around 11:30pm GMT Friday.Since small eruptions had been recorded at Mt. Aso even before the series of deadly quakes hit the area on Thursday and Friday, the Japanese Meteorological Agency has reportedly decided to keep the alert level at 2 on a scale of 1-5.The volcano eruption follows two deadly earthquakes and dozens of powerful aftershocks that devastated Japan earlier this week.

On Friday (1:25am Saturday local time) a violent 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the city of Kumamoto on the island of Kyushu. At least 11 people have so been confirmed dead in the disaster so far, while several dozens are feared to still be trapped under the rubble. Some 760 were treated in hospitals while rescue teams continue to search ruined houses.

Just a day beforehand, the same region was rattled by a 6.5 quake, in which at least ine people were killed and more than 850 injured. Authorities went on to evacuate over 40,000 people as scientists began to monitor nearby volcanoes for any signs of activity.


WATCH: Mount Aso volcano erupts.

Japanese authorities were also worried about a potential repeat of the 2011 Fukushima disaster scenario, when a 15-meter post-quake tsunami caused a nuclear meltdown. However, so far the Nuclear Regulation Authority said no irregularities had been recorded at three nuclear plants on the island of Kyushu and nearby Shikoku.

Over a hundred aftershocks have hit the region following the initial Thursday tremor. Officials have warned that the risk of further strong aftershocks will linger for about a week. - RT.

 

GLOBAL VOLCANISM: Japan's Largest Active Volcano Spews Out Ash And Rocks Over 1,000 Meters Into The Air - Level 2 Alert Issued For Mount Aso; 49 Flights Cancelled!

November 29, 2014 - JAPAN - Dozens of flights were disrupted in Japan on Thursday as Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in the country, spewed ash and stones. This comes just two months after more than 60 were killed in the Mount Ontake eruption.

Japanese airlines were forced to cancel 49 flights as Mount Aso, which dominates the south-west Japanese island of Kyushu, spewed stones and ash, the local Jiji news agency reported on Thursday.

"Today we canceled eight flights departing from Kumamoto and four flights arriving there," a Japan Airlines spokesman told AFP. "There was also one flight which changed destination to a nearby airport," he added.

The massive volcano, one of the largest active ones in the world, started rumbling on Tuesday, while the next day it sent a stream of ash 1,000 meters into the air, local media reported citing Japan’s meteorologists.

Japanese media also said volcanic ash fell on Bungo-Ono, in Oita Prefecture, and the town of Gokase, in Miyazaki Prefecture, about 40 km from the volcano.

Rocks flew 200 meters high from belching Mount Aso on Thursday, while meteorologists warned that flying rocks and ash could hit within a 1 km radius from the volcano. Local Asahi Shimbun reported that it was the first time the volcano had spewed rocks since 1995.

On Wednesday, Japan’s meteorological agency issued a warning – a level 2 alert out of 5 - to residents around the volcano in Kumamoto Prefecture. The second alert level restricts approach the volcano to no nearer than 1 km.

The meteorological agency’s Fukuoka Regional Headquarters reported slight distortions in the shape of Mount Aso, which indicate that magma was possibly involved in the latest eruption, according to Asahi Shimbun. Magmatic eruptions are characterized by gas release and explosions.

Mount Aso’s activity comes just weeks after 60 people were killed in Mount Ontake unexpected eruption in September. This forced a revaluation of volcanic activity risks and the possibility of its prediction. Questions have also arisen over whether Mount Fuji - the highest and most famous mountain in Japan, which was last active in 1707–08 – could erupt.

WATCH: Mount Aso erupts.

The stratovolcano’s activity would not only threaten those in the adjacent Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures, but also the highly populated Japanese capital, meteorologists said.

Recent research conducted by Japanese scientists and released by Kobe University in October said that about 95 percent of Japan’s population is at risk of being devastated by a major volcanic eruption, which could happen “at any moment” within the next century.

"It is not an overstatement to say that a colossal volcanic eruption would leave Japan extinct as a country," the authors of the study said, according to AFP. - RT.

ICE AGE NOW: Second Snow Storm In One Week In Japan - Death Toll Rises To 23; Thousands Stranded!

February 18, 2014 - JAPAN - Snow-choked roads cut off thousands on Tuesday as parts of Japan struggled to dig out from its second storm in a week, with the death toll rising to at least 23.

A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force excavator removes snow covering a bridge at Hinohara village, west of Tokyo,
in this handout picture taken and released on February 17, 2014 by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.

Credit: Reuters/the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force/Handout via Reuters

Train services were suspended in some areas after the Valentine's Day storm dumped more than a meter of snow in parts of central Japan and blanketed the capital with record snow for the second weekend in a row, snarling airline traffic and slowing production at some Japanese automakers.

The freak storm dumped more than 1.1 meters of snow in Yamanashi prefecture in central Japan, the most in more than a century of record-keeping, and lesser amounts across a wide swathe of the eastern and northeastern parts of the nation. Tokyo was hit by 27 cm (10.6 inches).

By Tuesday, least 23 people had died, including some killed in traffic accidents or by being caught under snow that fell from roofs. Several died in cars stuck in the snow, apparently from carbon monoxide poisoning as they ran their car engines to keep warm.

Temperatures below average for much of Japan.

At the peak of the storm, thousands of households lost power and hundreds of flights were canceled. Train services were disrupted and highways closed, with some of the nation's main arteries jammed with cars, some for days.

Toyota Motor Corp resumed operations at three plants in central Japan on Tuesday after suspending them a day earlier due to disruption in the supply of parts, but the outlook was unclear for another Toyota plant. Other carmakers suffered similar disruptions.

In neighboring South Korea, ten people attending a party for new university students were killed on Monday in southern Gyeongju when a building at a mountain resort collapsed under the weight of snow. - Reuters.

ICE AGE NOW: Record Snowfall In Japan - Heaviest Snowfall In Decades; 12 Killed; 1,500 Injured; Transportation And Power Disrupted! [PHOTOS+VIDEOS]

February 16, 2014 - JAPAN - The heaviest snowfall in decades has left 12 dead and more than 1,500 injured across Japan, local media reported on Sunday. The snow has paralyzed the public transport system and left hundreds of thousands without electricity.

Students walk under snow covered trees at a park in Tokyo on February 14, 2014.
(AFP Photo / Toru Yamanaka)

One person died in a snow-related traffic accident in the city of Shizuoka located south of the capital Tokyo early on Saturday, police said. Another two people died in car crashes caused by snow in Shiga central Japan and Oita in the south western part of the archipelago on Friday, according to Kyodo news agency.

At least 1,500 people, including one in a coma, have been injured on the snow-covered roads since the storm hit the country on Thursday, local media reported.

The snow blanketed Tokyo with 27 centimeters (10.6 inches) of snow on Saturday morning, local media said, adding that it the heaviest snowfall the capital has seen in 45 years. While Kofu in the Yamanashi Prefecture, west of Tokyo, on Saturday saw a record snowfall of 91 centimeters since observations began 120 years ago. On Sunday 114 centimeters of snow fell in the prefecture.

A man pushes a vehicle after it lost traction and skidded on a snow covered road in Tokyo on February 15, 2014
as trafic is disrupted after a heavy snowfall. (AFP Photo / Yoshikazu Tsuno)

In addition to the roads, the local expressways experienced delays or were closed due to enormous amounts of snow. The Tomei and other expressways in the Tokyo area were closed on Saturday, local media reported.

19 people were injured when two commuter trains collided at Motosumiyoshi station in Tokyo on Saturday morning, officials said however adding that it is not yet clear whether the accident was caused by bad weather.

On Friday about 160,000 passengers on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line experienced delays of up to an hour, Japan Railway officials said as cited by AFP.


WATCH: Record snowfall in Japan.

ANA Holdings, Japan's largest carrier, said 338 domestic flights and 12 international flights were canceled on Saturday due to weather conditions.

About 4,500 people were forced to spend the Friday night at Tokyo’s Haneda airport after their flights were cancelled.

Tokyo Electric Power Co Inc (TEPCO) said up to 246,000 households were without electricity on Saturday.


WATCH:  Western Pacific Weather recent storm footage.

 


Japan’s Meteorological Agency has issued heavy snow warnings in many areas in the Kanto eastern region in and around Tokyo and the central Koshin region, according to Jiji news agency.

The snowstorm comes just one week after another record snowfall resulted in the deaths of at least 11 people and left more than 1,200 injured across the nation. - RT.

FUK-U-JAPAN: Mother Nature Strikes Back For Fukushima Radiation, And The Slaughter Of Dolphins And Other Animal Life - Japan Hit By The Worst Snowstorm In Nearly Half A Century; 11 Dead; 1,200 Injured! [PHOTOS+VIDEOS]

February 09, 2014 - JAPAN - The heaviest snowstorm in nearly half a century in Tokyo and other areas of Japan has caused a rash of snow-linked accidents, resulting in nearly a dozen deaths and injuring more than a thousand people.

 Lexus vehicles are covered with snow at a vehicle shop in Tokyo on February 9, 2014 one day
after heavy snowfall hit the capital

Up to 27 centimeters (10.6 inches) of snow was recorded in Tokyo by late Saturday, the heaviest fall in the capital for 45 years, according to meteorologists.

Approximately 35 centimeters (13.8 inches) of snow was dumped on the northeastern city of Sendai as a depression moved along the Pacific coast on Saturday, resulting in the heaviest snowfall in 78 years. Fukushima was also blanketed in 44 centimeters (17.3 inches of snow.)


WATCH: Deadly snowstorm hits Japan.

Local media now report that at least eleven people have been killed in snow-linked accidents – mostly caused by drivers crashing after losing control on the icy roads. In central Aichi prefecture, a 50-year-old man died after his car lost traction and slammed into a billboard, AFP reports, citing a local rescuer.

NHK reported at least 1,253 people have been injured nationwide, many of whom slipped and fell while shoveling the snow off their roofs.

 Meanwhile, the Tokyo Electric Power Company said that as of 6 am local time, more than 20,000 households in Ibaraki and Chiba prefecture were without power, the Japanese public broadcaster reports. The heavy snowfall and wind are believed to have caused the power outages.

A woman walks in a park near the Imperial Palace as snow falls in Tokyo February 8, 2014
(Reuters / Toru Hanai)

A jetliner of Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) taxis at Tokyo's Haneda airport covered by
the snow on February 8, 2014 (AFP Photo / Kazuhiro Nogi)

Visitors take photos at the Imperial Palace as snow falls in Tokyo February 8, 2014 (Reuters / Toru Hanai)

A woman walks with sticks on a snow-covered road in Tokyo on February 9, 2014 one
day after heavy snowfall hit the capital

A woman walks past bicycles covered with snow at Tokyo's Ginza shopping district in Tokyo February 8, 2014

Pedestrians cross an intersection at Tokyo's Ginza shopping district during heavy snowfall in Tokyo February 8, 2014

The inclement weather has also disrupted air travelers, with over 200 domestic flights being canceled on Sunday. Around 5,000 travelers flying internationally were forced to spend the night in Tokyo Narita Airport because of the weather. Train services in the capital were also disrupted.

Weather officials say that more snow, strong winds and high waves are expected on Sunday.

 The massive snowstorms come as the Tokyo gubernatorial election commenced on Sunday. The former governor, Naoki Inose, was forced to resign in December over a political funds related scandal.

Major candidates include former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa, former health minister Yoichi Masuzoe, former Air Self-Defense Force chief Toshio Tamogami, and Kenji Utsunomiya, former head of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, Kyodo News Reports.


WATCH:  Western Pacific Weather reports on the snowstorm.

 


Octogenarian inventor, Yoshiro Nakamatsu, is also running for the governor's post for the seventh time, along with Kazuma Ieiri, a 35-year-old company executive who is crowd sourcing policy ideas from citizens.

The hotly contested race could be damped by the weather, however, with observers saying heavy snowfall could affect turnout in the city of 13 million people. - RT.

ICE AGE NOW: Three Dead, 500 Injured As Heavy Snow Hits Japan - Heaviest Snowfall In Over Two Decades; More Than 40,000 Households Without Power; More Than 700 Flights Grounded; Over 3,000 Vehicle Accidents; More Snow In The Forecast! [VIDEOS]

February 08, 2014 - JAPAN - The heaviest snow in two decades struck Tokyo and other areas across Japan on Saturday, leaving three dead and nearly 500 others injured, reports said.

Japan Meteorological Agency issued the first heavy snowfall warning for central Tokyo in 13 years. (AP)

More than 740 flights were grounded as the weather agency issued a severe storm warning for the capital, while more than 40,000 households lost power.

As much as 22 centimetres (8.7 inches) of snow was recorded today in Tokyo, topping 20 centimetres for the first time since 1994, the meteorological agency and news reports said.

Two female passengers, aged 88 and 90, died today in a car accident on their way to a nursing home in Ishikawa, central Japan, NHK said. Police suspect one of the cars skidded on the icy road and caused the head-on clash.

A man was also killed in Nagano as a train smashed into his car at a railroad crossing, the broadcaster said, adding that 3,200 other accidents occurred across the nation caused by vehicles skidding in the icy conditions.

Public broadcaster NHK said at least 494 people were injured in snow-related accidents across the nation.

Further snowfall is expected Saturday night and early Sunday in Tokyo, the weather agency said.

The agency issued a heavy snow warning for the capital, the first such warning for the capital in 13 years, calling on residents not to go out unless necessary.


WATCH: Western Pacific Weather reports on the heavy snowfall in Japan.

The agency also warned of strong winds and high waves in eastern Japan as a rapidly developing low pressure front was heading toward eastern Japan, it said.

Japanese airline companies have cancelled 742 flights on Saturday due to heavy snow, NHK said, adding that more cancellations are expected on Sunday.

Airports in the western cities of Hiroshima and Kagawa were temporarily closed as operators were removing snow from the runways.

Television footage showed hundreds of passengers queueing for reimbursement or a change of flights at Tokyo’s Haneda airport with departure boards indicating the cancellation of many flights.

Employees were hurriedly removing snow from the pavement in front of their shops and restaurants in Tokyo’s bustling Ginza district.

Railway operators temporarily suspended services of Shinkansen bullet trains in western Japan, affecting more than 100,000 passengers, news reports said. - Indian Express.