Miyake Mayor Ko Hasegawa on Thursday said he will recommend that women, children and the elderly leave volcanic Miyake Island but ruled out an islandwide evacuation.
Hasegawa made the remarks at a news conference after a meeting to discuss the Miyake crisis with Tokyo Vice Gov. Yasushi Aoyama and officials of the Metropolitan Police Department, the Tokyo Fire Department and the Self-Defense Forces.
Residents of the island temporarily returned to their homes in the morning after spending the night in shelters due to mudslide fears following fresh eruptions of Mount Oyama, Miyake village hall officials said.