Volcanic alert for Hokkaido’s Mt. Tokachidake raised to Level 3

Japan’s Meteorological Agency raised the eruption alert level for Mount Tokachidake in Hokkaido to Level 3 on Saturday morning, banning entry to the 2,077-meter mountain.

This is the first time that Level 3 has been issued for the mountain since the alert system was introduced in 2008. Level 2 restricts access to areas around the craters.

Volcanic activity has intensified, raising the possibility of an eruption, the agency said, warning of large volcanic rocks within about 3 kilometers of the crater.

The mountain straddles the city of Furano and the towns of Biei, Kamifurano, Minamifurano and Shintoku.

The Kamifurano town government has issued an evacuation order for the Fukiage Onsen area and advised elderly and other vulnerable residents in the Tokachidake Onsen area to evacuate.

The number of large volcanic earthquakes near Mount Tokachidake has increased since Aug. 17, with the strongest quake occurring around 8:20 a.m. Saturday.

Since March, crustal deformation indicating expansion at a moderately deep level near the mountain has continued, while emissions of volcanic gas, or sulfur dioxide, have increased since April.

The crater where an eruption could occur is one of the craters from which an eruption occurred in 1962 and is known as the “62-2 crater.”

A very small eruption occurred on July 22 this year, the first eruption at the volcano in 22 years, followed by further minor eruptions on Aug. 5 and 6.

In the eruption in May 1926, a large-scale mudflow triggered by snowmelt occurred, leaving 144 people dead or missing.