Some 520 elementary and junior high school students who had been evacuated returned to their classes in the town of Abuta on Monday, about two months after Mount Usu erupted in southwestern Hokkaido, school officials said.
The number of students who began classes on Monday was about 100 fewer than before the eruption, since many children have moved to other schools, according to the officials.
The students at Abuta Elementary School and Abuta Junior High School had been attending special classes in the nearby towns of Toyoura and Oshamambe.
On Sunday, Abuta town officials lifted an evacuation order covering areas including the elementary and junior high schools and prepared buses for children who had been evacuated to municipalities such as Date and Toya.