Friday, May 29^th : more than 100 people have been ordered to evacuate after Mount Shindake volcano erupted on the tiny southern Japanese island of Kuchinoerabu during the morning.

Japan’s meteorological agency raised the alert level to five, the highest on its scale, and ordered the island’s 140 residents to evacuate.

The agency said no injuries or damage had been reported following the eruption, which occurred eight months after 57 people died after Mount Ontake in central Japan erupted without warning.

In Tokyo, the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, set up an emergency response team and dispatched a self-defence forces to the island. Abe said he had instructed local authorities to do “everything possible” to ensure the islanders’ safety.

Yoshihide Suga, the government’s chief spokesman, said a coast guard vessel had also been sent to help residents evacuate.