A volcano expert said Saturday that Mount Oyama on Miyake Island spouted several million cubic meters of volcanic ash in an eruption the previous day.
Setsuya Tanaka, a professor of the seismological research institute at the University of Tokyo, said the latest eruption deposited more ash than any of the previous eruptions over the past six weeks. The volcano rumbled back to life in late June.
Tanaka had examined photos taken from a Marine Safety Agency helicopter earlier Saturday.