TOKYO: A volcano in southern Japan erupted for the first time in 250 years on Thursday, spewing steam and ash hundreds of meters into the air, as authorities warned locals not to approach the mountain.
“There is a possibility that (Mount Io) will become more active,” said Makoto Saito, an official from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), confirming the eruption.
In a televised press conference, he warned residents in the area to stay away from the mountain, part of the Mount Kirishima group of volcanoes, as major ash deposits spread from the crater.
It was the first eruption of the mountain since 1768, the JMA said.
The agency warned that large flying rocks could fall over a three-kilometer (two-mile) radius.
The eruption threw smoke and ash 400 meters (1,300 feet) into the air.
Footage captured by the JMA and local media showed thick white and grey smoke rising from several areas of the mountain.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, adding that the government was “taking all possible measures” to prevent damage and casualties.
The eruption occurred a few kilometers (miles) away from Shinmoedake, which featured in the 1967 James Bond film “You Only Live Twice” and erupted in March.
Japan, with scores of active volcanoes, sits on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire” where a large proportion of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are recorded.
In January, a Japanese soldier was killed and several other people injured after an eruption near a popular ski resort in northwest of Tokyo.
On September 27, 2014, Japan suffered its deadliest eruption in almost 90 years when Mount Ontake, in central Nagano prefecture, burst unexpectedly to life.
An estimated 63 people were killed in the shock eruption which occurred as the peak was packed with hikers out to see the region’s spectacular autumn colors.
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No-go warning as Japan volcano erupts for first time in 250 years
No-go warning as Japan volcano erupts for first time in 250 years
- Eruption throws smoke and ash 400 meters into the air
- Mount Ontake's outburst on September 27, 2014 was Japan's deadliest in almost 90 years
Pentagon foresees ‘more limited’ role in deterring North Korea
- South Korea hosts about 28,500 US troops in combined defense against North Korea’s military threat
- In recent years, US officials have signaled a desire to make US forces in South Korea more flexible
The Pentagon foresees a “more limited” role in deterring North Korea, with South Korea taking primary responsibility for the task, according to a policy document released on Friday, a move that could lead to a reduction of US forces on the Korean Peninsula.
South Korea hosts about 28,500 US troops in combined defense against North Korea’s military threat and Seoul has raised its defense budget by 7.5 percent for this year.
“South Korea is capable of taking primary responsibility for deterring North Korea with critical but more limited US support,” the Pentagon said in the 25-page National Defense Strategy document that guides its policies.
“This shift in the balance of responsibility is consistent with America’s interest in updating US force posture on the Korean Peninsula.”
In recent years, US officials have signaled a desire to make US forces in South Korea more flexible, to potentially operate outside the Korean Peninsula in response to a broader range of threats, such as in defending Taiwan and checking China’s growing military reach.
South Korea has resisted the idea of shifting the role of US troops, but has worked to grow its defense capabilities in the past 20 years, with the goal of being able to take on the wartime command of combined US and South Korean forces. South Korea has 450,000 troops.
The Pentagon’s top policy official, Elbridge Colby, is due to travel to Asia next week and is expected to visit South Korea, a US official said.
The wide-ranging document, which each new administration publishes, said the Pentagon’s priority was defending the homeland. In the Indo-Pacific region, the document said, the Pentagon was focused on ensuring that China could not dominate the United States or US allies.
“This does not require regime change or some other existential struggle. Rather, a decent peace, on terms favorable to Americans but that China can also accept and live under, is possible,” the document said, without mentioning Taiwan by name.
China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take control of the island. Taiwan rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims and says only the people of Taiwan can decide their future.
The Pentagon document is based on US President Donald Trump’s National Security Strategy, published last year, which said the United States will reassert its dominance in the Western Hemisphere, build military strength in the Indo-Pacific, and possibly reassess its relationship with Europe.
Iran seeks to rebuild military
President Trump said on Thursday the United States has an “armada” heading toward Iran but that he hoped he would not have to use it, as he renewed warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear program.
The deployments to the Middle East expand the options available to Trump, both to better defend US forces in the region at a moment of high tension and to take any additional military action after striking Iranian nuclear sites in June.
The Pentagon document said that while Iran had suffered setbacks in recent months, it was aiming to rebuild its military, with Tehran leaving open the possibility that it could “try again to obtain a nuclear weapon.”
Even with US troops heading to the region, the document said Israel was a “model ally” and could be further empowered to defend itself. The United States has had a sometimes strained relationship with Israel over its war in Gaza.
US to remain engaged in Europe
Trump’s National Security Strategy from last year drew an outcry from Europeans after it said that Europe faced “civilizational erasure” and may one day lose its status as a reliable US ally.
The Trump administration is putting pressure on Kyiv to reach a peace deal in the war triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, with Moscow demanding Kyiv cede its entire eastern industrial area of Donbas before it stops fighting.
The Pentagon’s strategy document was more measured on European allies, saying that while the United States would remain engaged in Europe it would prioritize defending the United States and deterring China.
It said that Russia would remain a “persistent but manageable” threat for NATO’s eastern members, and that the Pentagon would provide Trump with options to “guarantee US military and commercial access to key terrain” in different parts of the world, including in Greenland.
Trump said earlier this week he had secured total and permanent US access to Greenland in a deal with NATO, whose head said allies would have to step up their commitment to Arctic security to ward off threats from Russia and China.
South Korea hosts about 28,500 US troops in combined defense against North Korea’s military threat and Seoul has raised its defense budget by 7.5 percent for this year.
“South Korea is capable of taking primary responsibility for deterring North Korea with critical but more limited US support,” the Pentagon said in the 25-page National Defense Strategy document that guides its policies.
“This shift in the balance of responsibility is consistent with America’s interest in updating US force posture on the Korean Peninsula.”
In recent years, US officials have signaled a desire to make US forces in South Korea more flexible, to potentially operate outside the Korean Peninsula in response to a broader range of threats, such as in defending Taiwan and checking China’s growing military reach.
South Korea has resisted the idea of shifting the role of US troops, but has worked to grow its defense capabilities in the past 20 years, with the goal of being able to take on the wartime command of combined US and South Korean forces. South Korea has 450,000 troops.
The Pentagon’s top policy official, Elbridge Colby, is due to travel to Asia next week and is expected to visit South Korea, a US official said.
The wide-ranging document, which each new administration publishes, said the Pentagon’s priority was defending the homeland. In the Indo-Pacific region, the document said, the Pentagon was focused on ensuring that China could not dominate the United States or US allies.
“This does not require regime change or some other existential struggle. Rather, a decent peace, on terms favorable to Americans but that China can also accept and live under, is possible,” the document said, without mentioning Taiwan by name.
China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take control of the island. Taiwan rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims and says only the people of Taiwan can decide their future.
The Pentagon document is based on US President Donald Trump’s National Security Strategy, published last year, which said the United States will reassert its dominance in the Western Hemisphere, build military strength in the Indo-Pacific, and possibly reassess its relationship with Europe.
Iran seeks to rebuild military
President Trump said on Thursday the United States has an “armada” heading toward Iran but that he hoped he would not have to use it, as he renewed warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear program.
The deployments to the Middle East expand the options available to Trump, both to better defend US forces in the region at a moment of high tension and to take any additional military action after striking Iranian nuclear sites in June.
The Pentagon document said that while Iran had suffered setbacks in recent months, it was aiming to rebuild its military, with Tehran leaving open the possibility that it could “try again to obtain a nuclear weapon.”
Even with US troops heading to the region, the document said Israel was a “model ally” and could be further empowered to defend itself. The United States has had a sometimes strained relationship with Israel over its war in Gaza.
US to remain engaged in Europe
Trump’s National Security Strategy from last year drew an outcry from Europeans after it said that Europe faced “civilizational erasure” and may one day lose its status as a reliable US ally.
The Trump administration is putting pressure on Kyiv to reach a peace deal in the war triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, with Moscow demanding Kyiv cede its entire eastern industrial area of Donbas before it stops fighting.
The Pentagon’s strategy document was more measured on European allies, saying that while the United States would remain engaged in Europe it would prioritize defending the United States and deterring China.
It said that Russia would remain a “persistent but manageable” threat for NATO’s eastern members, and that the Pentagon would provide Trump with options to “guarantee US military and commercial access to key terrain” in different parts of the world, including in Greenland.
Trump said earlier this week he had secured total and permanent US access to Greenland in a deal with NATO, whose head said allies would have to step up their commitment to Arctic security to ward off threats from Russia and China.
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