Miyake Island authorities lifted an evacuation order Monday for some residents of the northeastern part of the island now that volcanic activity on Mount Oyama has subsided.
The authorities allowed 86 islanders living in the Kamitsuki district to return home three days after they were told to evacuate following Friday's eruption of the 813-meter-high volcano at the center of Miyake Island.
Regional Japanese Coast Guard authorities said Monday that they received reports that a discolored patch of ocean roughly 3.7 km north of Miyake Island had been discovered.
The volcano has erupted three times this month, most recently Saturday. Meanwhile, earthquakes continue to shake the island, which lies about 180 km south of Tokyo.
Friday's eruption sent ash and smoke as high as 1,500 meters three times during the day. However, most of the ash and other fallout had been cleared from major roads by Monday, according to officials.
Houses in the Kamitsuki district still had a coating of volcanic ash on their rooftops about 5 to 15 cm thick.
Village officials said that with the evacuation order lifted, they would now undertake a survey of damage to crops and contemplate whether to apply for various subsidies offered by the central and Tokyo Metropolitan governments. Meanwhile, Niijima Island, also in the Izu chain, was hit by a strong earthquake Saturday, prompting the village-run Wakago Elementary School to end its school term Monday, two days earlier than scheduled.
Evacuation orders are in force for the island's Wakago district and school officials called summer vacation early. Report cards for students could not be prepared in time, teachers said.
The end-of-term ceremony for the 19 pupils was held in the library of Niijima Elementary School, which has been designated an evacuation site.
Saturday's temblor injured 10 people, two seriously. It also caused landslides in some parts of the island.