Volcano erupts on southwestern Japan island, no injuries reported

TOKYO - A volcano on a southwestern Japan island erupted Saturday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, with no immediate reports of injuries.

Rocks were thrown about 300 meters from the crater of Mt. Shintake on Kuchinoerabu Island in Kagoshima Prefecture following the eruption around 3:05 p.m., the agency said, adding it had not confirmed any pyroclastic flow.

No evacuation order was issued. As of the end of last month, 100 people were registered as residents on the 36-square-kilometer island.

It was the first eruption on the island since Feb. 2 last year.

The agency maintained the alert level for the volcano at 3 on a scale of 5, which asks climbers to refrain from scaling the mountain, after raising the level from 2 in October following a major earthquake.

The agency warned of possible flying rocks and pyroclastic flows within about a 2-kilometer radius of the crater.

In May 2015, all residents of the island were evacuated to Yakushima Island, some 12 km to the east, after explosive eruptions from the volcano. Kuchinoerabu Island is located some 130 km south-southwest of the city of Kagoshima.

==Kyodo

Flu season has peaked nationwide, say health officials

TOKYO — The National Institute of Infectious Diseases said Saturday that it believes this year’s flu season has peaked.

The institute said that as of Friday, the number of flu patients who were seen per medical facility averaged 40.34, which it estimates was a decrease of around 100,000 cases from the week before, Fuji TV reported. According to the institute’s estimates, around 2,010,000 people were infected in that week.

The institute added that although the general national trend is downward, cases are still on the increase in certain areas, such as Kagoshima Prefecture.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is urging people to continue to take precautions against infection, such as keeping rooms humid, washing hands thoroughly and gargling regularly.

This winter, most patients tested were found to have been infected by the A strain of the virus, known in Japan as the “Hong Kong” strain.

The institute added that it believes one of the causes of the large number of infections this year may have been the unusually high number of low-humidity days, which create conditions in which it is easier for the virus to attach itself to the mucous membrane in the throat.

source: japantoday.com