No tsunami threat to Japan after huge volcanic eruption in Indonesia
Mt. Lewotobi erupted at around 2:10 a.m. Japan time and the plume briefly rose to a height of about 19,000 meters, the agency said. Shortly after the eruption, it began assessing the possibility of a tsunami reaching Japan.
Large volcanic eruptions can sometimes trigger tsunamis due to atmospheric pressure waves, but no significant changes in sea level were recorded at tide gauges in Japan or abroad, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Mt. Lewotobi has been highly active, prompting the weather agency to repeatedly investigate possible tsunami impacts since last year. In each case, no effects on Japan were observed.
On Wednesday, meanwhile, the agency issued a tsunami warning for the nation's Pacific coast after a massive earthquake struck off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
an hour ago
- Japan Today
17 heat records broken in Japan
Heatwaves are becoming more intense and frequent worldwide because of human-caused climate change, scientists say, and Japan is no exception Seventeen heat records were broken in Japan on Monday, the weather agency said, after the country sweltered through its hottest ever June and July. Heatwaves are becoming more intense and frequent worldwide because of human-caused climate change, scientists say, and Japan is no exception. The city of Komatsu in Ishikawa Prefecture saw a new record of 40.3 degrees Celsius on Monday, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. Toyama city in Toyama Prefecture, also in the central region, hit 39.8C, the highest temperature since records began, according to the JMA. Fifteen other locations across cities and towns soared to new highs between 35.7C and 39.8C, added the JMA, which monitors temperatures at more than 900 points in Japan. On July 30, Japan experienced its highest recorded temperature, a sizzling 41.2C in the western region of Hyogo. The rainy season ended about three weeks earlier than usual in western regions of Japan, another record. With low levels of rainfall and heat, several dams in the northern region were almost empty, the land ministry said, with farmers worried that a water shortage and extreme heat could result in a poor harvest. Experts warn Japan's beloved cherry trees are blooming earlier due to the warmer climate, or sometimes not fully blossoming because autumns and winters are not cold enough to trigger flowering. The famous snowcap of Mount Fuji was absent for the longest recorded period last year, not appearing until early November, compared with the average of early October. Japan this year had its hottest June and July since data collection began in 1898, with the weather agency warning of further "severe heat" in the months ahead. The speed of temperature increases across the world is not uniform. Of the continents, Europe has seen the fastest warming per decade since 1990, followed closely by Asia, according to global data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). © 2025 AFP
Yomiuri Shimbun
18 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Typhoon Bailu Moves Away from Japan; Moving East of Japan without Approaching
Typhoon Bailu, or Typhoon No. 10, is moving eastward of east Japan, without seeming to make landing in Japan, as of Monday. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, it had a central pressure of 998 hectopascals with 90 kph maximum instantaneous wind speed, as of noon on the day.
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Residents of Akusekijima Island in Southwestern Japan Still Concerned About Earthquakes After Strong Tremors Hit 1 Month Ago
AKUSEKIJIMA ISLAND, Kagoshima — Sunday marked one month since strong earthquakes that reached lower 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale hit Akusekijima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, and residents are still concerned that strong tremors may occur again. Several strong earthquakes with epicenters under the sea occurred near the Tokara Islands, which include Akusekijima Island. Akusekijima Island belongs to Toshima Village in the prefecture. Temblors have been occurring less frequently, and residents who evacuated the island have been returning home. However, the area along the island chain has also been rocked by numerous earthquakes in the past, and residents' fears about more quakes have not been eased. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, earthquakes measuring at least 1 on the Japanese intensity scale — which has a maximum level of 7 — had occurred 2,241 times as of 5 p.m. on Saturday. I departed from Kagoshima Port and traveled on a ship for about 10 hours and 30 minutes and arrived at Akusekijima Island at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. The slope of a mountain seen from the port had partially collapsed. I did not see any collapsed structures in residential areas, and there were no remarkable traces of the many earthquakes that had occurred. However, Shigehisa Nishi, 58, who runs a minshuku inn where I lodged, and his wife Keiko, 56, said that almost no guests have stayed at the inn and the revenue from their business since July has fallen about 90% from a year ago. Passersby were not seen on the roads in the local community nor were there any tourists. The village government offered economic assistance of ¥50,000 in cash per household for 155 people in a total of 79 households on Akusekijima and Kodakarajima islands. 'Although the cash aid is helpful, I'm anxious because we don't know how long the earthquakes will continue and whether tourists who lodge at our inn will return,' said Keiko. In the wake of the strongest quake which registered a lower 6 that occurred on July 3, a total of 71 residents from Akusekijima and Kodakarajima islands evacuated from the islands. They had stayed in hotels and other places in Kagoshima City and many have returned to the islands by Aug. 2.'The tremors were so violent that I feared electricity poles might fall down,' said Kazunori Arikawa, 73, who runs a minshuku inn, when describing the strongest temblor. He evacuated to Kagoshima City but returned to the island several times to land his fishing boat because a typhoon was predicted to be approaching. A number of earthquakes also hit the area in 2021 and 2023. Therefore, residents must be prepared for an emergency. When I visited a branch office of the village government on Akusekijima Island where a shelter is located, Yuki Matsushita, 36, the chief of the branch office, showed me the emergency supplies. They included canned and packed foods that could last for three days for residents and mats to sleep on. 'Some people become nervous when thinking about the earthquakes,' she said. 'Although the tremors are weak now, there hasn't been a day when zero quakes hit.' She is staying vigilant about more earthquakes occurring. Some people noted problems regarding evacuation to outside of the Akusekijima and Kodakarajima islands, a total of nine households keep 182 cattle. For farmers who cannot leave the islands because they have to take care of livestock, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry decided to subsidize half the cost of evacuating animals from the islands and keeping them at evacuation sites. However, as of the end of July, no farmer on the islands had applied for the subsidy. 'If I move my cattle off this island, it will cause them stress, and the burden will be heavy,' said Kazuya Arikawa, 60, who keeps 55 cattle on Akusekijima Island. 'Transporting them is the last option.
