The Japan Meteorological Agency said on its website that Sakurajima in southern Kagoshima prefecture erupted at 6:56 pm (0956 GMT). There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The eruption shot out large rocks, with the agency warning debris and pyroclastic flows -- super hot and fast-moving mixture of gases and rock fragments -- could reach as far as two kilometres (1.25 miles) away from the eruption vents.
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