TOKYO, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- A volcanic eruption notice was issued by the weather agency here Thursday for Kuchinoerabu Island, which belongs to Kagoshima Prefecture on the southern tip of Japan's Kyushu island.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), Mt. Shindake located on the southwestern island erupted at 9:19 a.m. local time.
Local residents and visitors to the island were initially advised to ensure their safety and await further information.
This bulletin was quickly followed thereafter by an evacuation advisory for the 109 islanders living in 71 households, issued by the town of Yakushima.
The advisory was lifted, however, within an hour and all residents were declared safe by the local authority.
Following Thursday's eruption, which saw pyroclastic flows run as far as 1.5 km from the crater, the JMA maintained the alert level for the volcano at 3 on its scale which peaks at 5.
The current alert level prohibits climbers from climbing the mountain, particularly near the cone, but has no restrictions on residents' daily movements.
According to Japan's public broadcaster NHK, eruptions on the island have occurred intermittently since October last year, with an explosive eruption occurring on Dec. 18.
Thursday's eruption, while not causing major damage or panic, did see ash and dense smoke spewed some 500 meters into the air, eye witnesses said.
"We heard a booming sound and felt the earth shake for five seconds or so," Shizuko Goto, 68, who runs an inn some 2 km from the crater of the mountain, was quoted by local media as saying.
"I was surprised and got out of the house. I saw a great volume of black smoke rising," said Goto.
As was the case with Thursday's notice from the JMA, an "eruption bulletin" issued by the weather agency is information that is announced in the case of larger eruptions occurring in volcanoes where an eruption has already occurred.
The bulletin warns those in the vicinity to pay attention to future volcanic activity in the area.
