Sakurajima eruption sends heavy ash over Kagoshima City, Japan
An eruption at Sakurajima’s Minamidake summit crater sent heavy ash over Kagoshima City, Japan, on June 7, 2026, with a plume reaching about 1 300 m (4 300 feet) above the crater.

An eruption at Sakurajima’s Minamidake summit crater sent heavy ash over Kagoshima City, Japan, on June 7, 2026, with a plume reaching about 1 300 m (4 300 feet) above the crater.

Multiple explosive eruptions at Sakurajima’s Minamidake crater in Kagoshima, Japan, on November 16, 2025, sent ash to about 4 400 m (14 400 feet) above sea level, prompting ashfall forecasts and flight cancellations at Kagoshima Airport.

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.

During a nighttime eruption on Thursday, January 30, 2025, the Sakurajima volcano produced an impressive volcanic lightning show, a rare but well-documented phenomenon associated with explosive eruptions.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported explosive eruptions at Sakurajima volcano between 07:10 and 07:29 LT on Monday, December 23, 2024, with ash clouds rising to approximately 3 000 m (9 850 feet) above the volcano.

A strong explosive eruption was registered at Sakurajima volcano, Japan at 04:58 UTC on July 20, 2024.

A strong eruption took place at Sakurajima’s Minamidake crater at 09:33 UTC (18:33 LT) on February 14, 2024, producing a thick black ash column that rose up to 6 km (20 000 feet) above sea level accompanied by volcanic lightning. This is the strongest eruption at Sakurajima since 2020.

A strong explosive eruption took place at Sakurajima volcano, Japan at 20:05 LT (11:05 UTC) on July 24, 2022, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to raise the Volcanic Alert Level from 3 to 5 and urge residents living within 3 km (1.8 miles) from the volcano to evacuate.
Explosive eruption continues at Sakurajima volcano, with moderate to strong explosions on December 9 and 10 becoming nearly continuous. An explosion at 19:30 UTC on December 9, produced a volcanic ash column up to 3.6 km (12 000 feet) above sea level, extending…
After a few months of low-level activity, a strong explosion took place at Japan's Sakurajima volcano at 02:55 UTC on December 2, 2020. Part of the eruptive column was obscured by a meteorological cloud, making height estimate difficult. Finally saw some…