A moderate eruption occurred at Mount Shinmoedake, part of the Kirishimayama volcano group in Kyushu, Japan, at approximately 16:37 JST (07:37 UTC) on June 22, 2025. The Japan Meteorological Agency reported an ash plume rising 500 m (1 640 feet) above the crater rim. The alert level remains at 2, with a 2 km (1.2 miles) exclusion zone around the crater.
At least four elderly women died of suspected heatstroke on June 17, 2025, in Japan’s Kanagawa, Shizuoka, Saitama, and Gunma Prefectures. More than 60 monitoring stations recorded temperatures at or above 35 °C (95°F). Temperatures are expected to rise until June 20, and a heat advisory is in place.
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the JMA as M6.3 hit near the coast of Hokkaido, Japan, at 18:51 UTC on June 1, 2025 — 03:51 local time, June 2. USGS is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 31 km (19.2 miles).
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.1 hit near the coast of Hokkaido, Japan, at 08:37 UTC (17:37 local time) on May 31, 2025. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). JMA is reporting M6.1 at a depth of 20 km (12.4 miles).
Three eruptions were recorded at Sakurajima volcano in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, on May 15, 2025, with ash plumes reaching heights over 4 200 m (13 800 feet) above sea level. Ashfall was reported in Kagoshima City, reducing visibility on city roads.
NTT has developed the world’s first drone-based system capable of triggering and guiding lightning strikes. The technology provides a mobile platform to protect critical infrastructure and may support future research into capturing and storing lightning energy.
A strong earthquake registered by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) as M6.0 struck off the east coast of Osumi Peninsula, Kyushu at around 23:04 JST (14:04 UTC) on April 2, 2025. The USGS is reporting M6.2 at a depth of 26 km (16 miles).
Japan has raised the volcanic alert for Shinmoedake volcano to level 3 early Sunday, March 30, 2025, following the detection of more than 200 volcanic tremors within a 24-hour period.
Record-breaking temperatures were measured in Japan on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, with 143 stations either tying or breaking the record for the hottest March day on record.
As Japan marks the 14th anniversary of the 2011 Tohoku mega-quake—a magnitude 9.0 disaster that killed nearly 16 000 and triggered the Fukushima crisis—a new study from Tohoku, Hokkaido, and JAMSTEC researchers warns that strain building in the Chishima Trench off Hokkaido could unleash another magnitude 9.0 quake in the coming decades.
