Japan volcano eruption: Watch 'James Bond' volcano Shinmoedake SPEW ASH high into the sky
JAPAN volcano Shinmoedake exploded on Thursday spewing a billowing cloud of smoke into the air putting the infamous volcanic Ring of Fire on high alert.
Japan volcano Shinmoedake erupted for the first time since April 2018 releasing a large cloud of ash and debris high into the air.
Footage reportedly captured a few kilometres away from Shinmoedake shows billowing smoke rising high above the mount.
The video also appears to have recorded a rumbling sound resembling the aftermath of an explosion as the ash cloud is released.
Shinmoedake, which was made famous to the British public thanks to the 1967 James Bond film 'You Only Live Twice', is located 935km from Japan's capital Tokyo.
YOUTUBE/Michael Cinciala
In the Bond classing, the volcano's crater acted at the lair of villain Ernst Blofeld and the base from which he launches his personal shuttle to snatch US and Soviet shuttles.
Shinmoedake’s eruption today marks the fourth time the volcano has erupted in 2018.
Japan has 110 active volcanoes and monitors 47 constantly as the country is located on the infamous Ring of Fire – a large area in the Pacific Ocean subjected to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
The fearsome volcano is part of the Mount Shinmoedake cluster of volcanoes in Kagoshima prefecture on Japan’s southwestern-most island of Kyushu.
The volcano’s eruptions have been tracked as far back as 1716 and the volcano is believed to have been formed as long as 25,000 years ago.
Local authorities in Japan have said the eruption has not affected flights to and from Miyazaki and Kagoshima airports.
The weather agency has maintained a level 3 alert on a scale of 5 that restricts access to the volcano.
People are being warned about of flying rocks in areas within 3km of the crater and pyroclastic flows within a 2km radius.
In January, a member of Japan's military was struck and killed when rocks from a volcanic eruption rained down on skiers at a central mountain resort.
The year 2018 has already seen the eruption of the Cleveland volcano in the Aleutian Isles, Mount Mayon in the Philippines and Fuego volcano in Guatemala
The Kilauea volcano in Hawaii has also been causing disruption since May 3, however, this is not generally considered to be a part of the Ring.