Search｜Photos & Images & Videos｜KYODO NEWS IMAGES INC

Highway near Mt. Usu volcano reopens after 15 months

ABUTA, Japan - Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Chikage Ogi (C) and other officials on June 30 cut tape in front of a tollhouse in Abuta, Hokkaido to reopen a trunk highway section near Mt. Usu. The section was reopened after a 15 month closure due to repairs to damage caused by eruptions from the 732-meter volcano on the northernmost main Japanese island.

E

Evacuation order lifted for residents near Mt. Usu

DATE, Japan - Returning home July 18, Mineko Tomiyama looks up at the ceiling of her living room which has been heavily damaged by volcanic rocks from Mt. Usu. The town of Abuta in southwestern Hokkaido, where her house is located, lifted the evacuation order for 285 residents of the west side of the Toya hot-spring district at the foot of the 732-meter volcano.

E

Hotel near Mt. Usu reopens

DATE, Japan - Tourists arrive at a hotel in the town of Sobetsu near Mt. Usu in southwestern Hokkaido on May 29, about two months after the 732-meter volcano erupted March 31. The reopening of the hotel follows the lifting of an evacuation order covering areas near Mt. Usu. Experts with the Coordinating Committee for the Prediction of Volcanic Eruptions announced May 22 that volcanic activity at the volcano is gradually subsiding and may soon cease.

E

Evacuation drills conducted around Mt. Usu

DATE, Japan - Primary school pupils board a Self-Defense Forces truck in Date, a city close to the Mt. Usu volcano in southwestern Hokkaido, on May 18 in evacuation drills participated in by some 700 residents in Date, Sobetsu and Abuta at the foot of the volcano. The 732-meter volcano remains active after erupting March 31 for the first time in nearly 23 years.

E

Residents near Mt. Usu allowed to return home temporarily

ABUTA, Japan - Forty-one families, the first group of 878 families given permission to make a 30-minute trip home in the Lake Toya hot-spring resort, on May 16 left the shelter for the first time since their evacuation following the eruption of Mt. Usu in southwestern Hokkaido on March 31. Smoke from the 732-meter volcano, which is still active, can be seen in the background.

E

Carp streamers hung up at shelter near Mt. Usu

OSHAMAMBE, Japan - Carp streamers donated from across the nation are hung May 4 over a shelter in the town of Oshamambe near the 732-meter Mt. Usu volcano in southwestern Hokkaido, which has been spewing ash, steam and smoke since erupting March 31 for the first time in nearly 23 years. Carp streamers, called ''koinobori'' in Japanese, are flown outside houses on May 5 to celebrate male children and as an expression of hope for their health and prosperity.

E

Mt. Usu still active

TOYA, Japan - Mt. Usu, the volcano in Hokkaido which erupted March 31, continues spewing ash, steam and smoke April 20. The picture of the northwestern part of the 732-meter volcano was taken at 7:45 a.m.

E

Evacuees inspect Lake Toya hot-spring resort

TOYA, Japan - People recently evacuated from areas near the Mt. Usu volcano in southwestern Hokkaido prepare to board a ship April 18 to inspect the Lake Toya hot-spring resort from the lake. The 732-meter mountain, which erupted March 31 for the first time in nearly 23 years, erupted again April 17.

E

Experts begin revising Mt. Usu outlook

TOYA, Japan - Mt. Usu continues spewing steam, ash and smoke April 12 after the 732-meter volcano erupted March 31 for the first time in nearly 23 years. Experts got together the same day to revise their official outlook on the possibility of a violent eruption, after magma movements there became localized and the chance of an imminent eruption appeared to have dwindled.

E

Hot mud flows into Lake Toya hot spring resort

TOYA, Japan - Steam rises in the wake of hot mud flowing from the crater of Mt. Usu volcano into the deserted Lake Toya hot spring resort in southwestern Hokkaido April 9. Volcanologists have repeatedly warned that Mt. Usu may soon erupt violently. The Meteorological Agency and Hokkaido University have stepped up their monitoring of the 732-meter mountain, which erupted March 31 for the first time in nearly 23 years.

E

Mudslides from volcano flow into Lake Toya

TOYA, Japan - Mudslides from the Mt. Usu volcano in Abuta in southwestern Hokkaido flow into Lake Toya (foreground) on April 7, with the hot mud sending up clouds of white smoke. Volcanic activity at the 732-meter-high mountain entered its eighth day and volcanologists warned that a violent eruption remains a possibility.

E

Mt. Usu erupts again

HAKODATE, Japan - The photo, taken from a Kyodo News helicopter at 3:50 p.m. on April 2, shows a complete view of Mt. Usu. The 732-meter volcano in southwestern Hokkaido blasted columns of dense smoke skyward from at least three craters.

E

Mt. Usu erupts again near Lake Toya

HAKODATE, Japan - Mt. Usu in southwestern Hokkaido, which erupted March 31 for the first time in nearly 23 years, spews clouds of rock and steam again on the afternoon of April 2. The photo, taken from a Kyodo News helicopter at 2:15 p.m., shows the 732-meter volcano blasting a column of dense smoke skyward from a crater near the Lake Toya hot spa resort.

E

Mt. Usu volcano continues to belch smoke

TOYA, Japan - The Mt. Usu volcano in southwestern Hokkaido continues belching smoke from its craters at 8:25 a.m. April 2. The 732-meter volcano erupted March 31 for the first time in nearly 23 years. It erupted for a fourth time April 1.

E

Toyoura Town residents take refuge in sports center

TOYOURA, Japan - Residents in the town of Toyoura, Hokkaido, received ''onigiri'' rice balls around noon April 1 at the Toyoura Family Sports Center in the town. They had evacuated to the facility after Mt. Usu in southwestern Hokkaido erupted on March 31. The 732-meter volcano erupted for a fourth time on the afternoon of April 1.

E

Mt. Usu erupts after 23-year sleep (4)

SAPPORO, Japan - Mt. Usu in southwestern Hokkaido erupts March 31 after a week of seismic activity but there were no reports of casualties or damage. Photo shows the moment of eruption at 1:10 p.m. The eruption caused cracks on the slopes of the double-cratered 732-meter volcano.

E

Resident washes car covered with ash from volcano

SOBETSU, Japan - A resident of Sobetsu, Hokkaido washes her car covered with ash falling from Mt. Usu on March 31. The 732-meter mountain erupted earlier in the day for the first time in 23 years.

E

Cabinet ministers discuss ways to cope with Mt. Usu

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi (front, 2nd from L) speaks at a March 31 meeting of cabinet ministers at the premier's official residence to discuss ways to cope with the eruption of the Mt. Usu volcano in southwestern Hokkaido. The 732-meter mountain erupted earlier in the day for the first time in 23 years.

E

Mt. Usu evacuees queue for meals

DATE, Japan - Villagers evacuated to a gymnasium in Date in Japan's northern island of Hokkaido queue for their meals March 31. The Meteorological Agency was stepping up efforts to catch any early warning signs of an eruption, installing additional equipment to monitor seismic activity and atmospheric vibrations near the 732-meter volcano.

E

People evacuate to shelter as Hokkaido's Mt. Usu erupts

SOBETSU, Japan - Local residents, braving ash from the erupting Mt. Usu, walk to a nearby shelter in Sobetsu, southwestern Hokkaido, on March 31. The 732-meter mountain erupted earlier in the day, emitting gray smoke and ash on its western slope. No casualties or property damage have been reported so far.

E

Cracks on Mt. Usu photographed from helicopter

SAPPORO, Japan - This photo, taken March 31 from a Kyodo News helicopter, shows cracks over a length of more than 100 meters on the northwest side of Mt. Usu, the 732-meter volcano in Hokkaido, northern Japan, which erupted hours later in the day.

E

SDF helicopter inspects volcano Mt. Usu

SAPPORO, Japan - Photo shows a Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter flying over Mt. Usu to inspect the crater of the 732-meter volcano in the afternoon of March 30. Volcanologists predict that it could erupt in the next few days.

E

9,200 evacuate for fear of Mt. Usu eruption

ABUTA, Japan - Mt. Usu, in southwestern Hokkaido, is shown in a photo taken March 30. Authorities and local residents have continued to brace for a major eruption by the 732-meter volcano as seismic activity intensified following predictions from experts that it could blow its top in the next few days. About 9,200 residents and travelers near Mt. Usu evacuated the area March 29.

E

Hotel near Mt. Usu reopens

DATE, Japan - Tourists arrive at a hotel in the town of Sobetsu near Mt. Usu in southwestern Hokkaido on May 29, about two months after the 732-meter volcano erupted March 31. The reopening of the hotel follows the lifting of an evacuation order covering areas near Mt. Usu. Experts with the Coordinating Committee for the Prediction of Volcanic Eruptions announced May 22 that volcanic activity at the volcano is gradually subsiding and may soon cease.

E

Cracks on Mt. Usu photographed from helicopter

SAPPORO, Japan - This photo, taken March 31 from a Kyodo News helicopter, shows cracks over a length of more than 100 meters on the northwest side of Mt. Usu, the 732-meter volcano in Hokkaido, northern Japan, which erupted hours later in the day.

E

Tremors at Mt. Usu intensify, become more frequent

ABUTA, Japan - A mother and her four children leave for her parents' home during an evacuation of Abuta in southern Hokkaido after tremors at Mt. Usu intensified. Scientists and emergency services officials have been warning local residents to brace for a possible large-scale eruption at the 732-meter-high mountain. Many nearby residents spent the night in emergency shelters, while others prepared to leave their homes to move to the shelters.

E

Cabinet ministers discuss ways to cope with Mt. Usu

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi (front, 2nd from L) speaks at a March 31 meeting of cabinet ministers at the premier's official residence to discuss ways to cope with the eruption of the Mt. Usu volcano in southwestern Hokkaido. The 732-meter mountain erupted earlier in the day for the first time in 23 years.

E

Eruption warning issued for Mt. Usu

ABUTA, Japan - People living near Mt. Usu (shown in photo) in southern Hokkaido are warned March 28 to brace for a possible large volcanic eruption following reports of heightened seismic activity at the mountain. The Meteorological Agency issued an emergency volcano warning at 2:50 a.m. after the frequency of tremors at the 732-meter peak began accelerating. The photo was taken by a Kyodo helicopter.

E

Evacuees inspect Lake Toya hot-spring resort

TOYA, Japan - People recently evacuated from areas near the Mt. Usu volcano in southwestern Hokkaido prepare to board a ship April 18 to inspect the Lake Toya hot-spring resort from the lake. The 732-meter mountain, which erupted March 31 for the first time in nearly 23 years, erupted again April 17.

E

Evacuation order lifted for residents near Mt. Usu

DATE, Japan - Returning home July 18, Mineko Tomiyama looks up at the ceiling of her living room which has been heavily damaged by volcanic rocks from Mt. Usu. The town of Abuta in southwestern Hokkaido, where her house is located, lifted the evacuation order for 285 residents of the west side of the Toya hot-spring district at the foot of the 732-meter volcano.

E

Highway near Mt. Usu volcano reopens after 15 months

ABUTA, Japan - Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Chikage Ogi (C) and other officials on June 30 cut tape in front of a tollhouse in Abuta, Hokkaido to reopen a trunk highway section near Mt. Usu. The section was reopened after a 15 month closure due to repairs to damage caused by eruptions from the 732-meter volcano on the northernmost main Japanese island.

E

Evacuation drills conducted around Mt. Usu

DATE, Japan - Primary school pupils board a Self-Defense Forces truck in Date, a city close to the Mt. Usu volcano in southwestern Hokkaido, on May 18 in evacuation drills participated in by some 700 residents in Date, Sobetsu and Abuta at the foot of the volcano. The 732-meter volcano remains active after erupting March 31 for the first time in nearly 23 years.

E

Carp streamers hung up at shelter near Mt. Usu

OSHAMAMBE, Japan - Carp streamers donated from across the nation are hung May 4 over a shelter in the town of Oshamambe near the 732-meter Mt. Usu volcano in southwestern Hokkaido, which has been spewing ash, steam and smoke since erupting March 31 for the first time in nearly 23 years. Carp streamers, called ''koinobori'' in Japanese, are flown outside houses on May 5 to celebrate male children and as an expression of hope for their health and prosperity.

E

Mt. Usu still active

TOYA, Japan - Mt. Usu, the volcano in Hokkaido which erupted March 31, continues spewing ash, steam and smoke April 20. The picture of the northwestern part of the 732-meter volcano was taken at 7:45 a.m.

E

Experts begin revising Mt. Usu outlook

TOYA, Japan - Mt. Usu continues spewing steam, ash and smoke April 12 after the 732-meter volcano erupted March 31 for the first time in nearly 23 years. Experts got together the same day to revise their official outlook on the possibility of a violent eruption, after magma movements there became localized and the chance of an imminent eruption appeared to have dwindled.

E

Hot mud flows into Lake Toya hot spring resort

TOYA, Japan - Steam rises in the wake of hot mud flowing from the crater of Mt. Usu volcano into the deserted Lake Toyota hot spring resort in southwestern Hokkaido April 9. Volcanologists have repeatedly warned that Mt. Usu may soon erupt violently. The Meteorological Agency and Hokkaido University have stepped up their monitoring of the 732-meter mountain, which erupted March 31 for the first time in nearly 23 years.

E

Mudslides from volcano flow into Lake Toya

TOYA, Japan - Mudslides from the Mt. Usu volcano in Abuta in southwestern Hokkaido flow into Lake Toya (foreground) on April 7, with the hot mud sending up clouds of white smoke. Volcanic activity at the 732-meter-high mountain entered its eighth day and volcanologists warned that a violent eruption remains a possibility.

E

Mt. Usu volcano continues to belch smoke

TOYA, Japan - The Mt. Usu volcano in southwestern Hokkaido continues belching smoke from its craters at 8:25 a.m. April 2. The 732-meter volcano erupted March 31 for the first time in nearly 23 years. It erupted for a fourth time April 1.

E

Mt. Usu erupts again near Lake Toya

HAKODATE, Japan - Mt. Usu in southwestern Hokkaido, which erupted March 31 for the first time in nearly 23 years, spews clouds of rock and steam again on the afternoon of April 2. The photo, taken from a Kyodo News helicopter at 2:15 p.m., shows the 732-meter volcano blasting a column of dense smoke skyward from a crater near the Lake Toya hot spa resort.

E

Toyoura Town residents take refuge in sports center

TOYOURA, Japan - Residents in the town of Toyoura, Hokkaido, received ''onigiri'' rice balls around noon April 1 at the Toyoura Family Sports Center in the town. They had evacuated to the facility after Mt. Usu in southwestern Hokkaido erupted on March 31. The 732-meter volcano erupted for a fourth time on the afternoon of April 1.

E

Resident washes car covered with ash from volcano

SOBETSU, Japan - A resident of Sobetsu, Hokkaido washes her car covered with ash falling from Mt. Usu on March 31. The 732-meter mountain erupted earlier in the day for the first time in 23 years.

E

People evacuate to shelter as Hokkaido's Mt. Usu erupts

SOBETSU, Japan - Local residents, braving ash from the erupting Mt. Usu, walk to a nearby shelter in Sobetsu, southwestern Hokkaido, on March 31. The 732-meter mountain erupted earlier in the day, emitting gray smoke and ash on its western slope. No casualties or property damage have been reported so far.

E

Mt. Usu evacuees queue for meals

DATE, Japan - Villagers evacuated to a gymnasium in Date in Japan's northern island of Hokkaido queue for their meals March 31. The Meteorological Agency was stepping up efforts to catch any early warning signs of an eruption, installing additional equipment to monitor seismic activity and atmospheric vibrations near the 732-meter volcano.

E

Mt. Usu erupts after 23-year sleep (4)

SAPPORO, Japan - Mt. Usu in southwestern Hokkaido erupts March 31 after a week of seismic activity but there were no reports of casualties or damage. Photo shows the moment of eruption at 1:10 p.m. The eruption caused cracks on the slopes of the double-cratered 732-meter volcano.

E

Authorities discuss measures to deal with eruption

SAPPORO, March 31 Kyodo - Authorities in Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island, discussed March 31 further measures to be taken to deal with Mt. Usu, shown in the photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter. The 732-meter volcano erupted the same day as scientists had predicted.

E

SDF helicopter inspects volcano Mt. Usu

SAPPORO, Japan - Photo shows a Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter flying over Mt. Usu to inspect the crater of the 732-meter volcano in the afternoon of March 30. Volcanologists predict that it could erupt in the next few days.

E

Cracks confirmed on volcano Mt. Usu in northern Japan

SAPPORO, Japan - The Japanese Meteorological Agency said March 30 it has confirmed gaps and cracks over a length of more than 100 meters on the northwest side of Mt. Usu, the 732-meter volcano in Hokkaido, northern Japan, which volcanologists have warned could erupt in the next few days. The photo, provided by Yoshio Katsui, professor emeritus at Hokkaido University, shows the gaps and cracks.

E

9,200 evacuate for fear of Mt. Usu eruption

ABUTA, Japan - Mt. Usu, in southwestern Hokkaido, is shown in a photo taken March 30. Authorities and local residents have continued to brace for a major eruption by the 732-meter volcano as seismic activity intensified following predictions from experts that it could blow its top in the next few days. About 9,200 residents and travelers near Mt. Usu evacuated the area March 29.

E

Experts warn Mt. Usu could erupt soon

SAPPORO, Japan - Mt. Usu in southern Hokkaido is wrapped in thick cloud March 29. Experts said the 732-meter mountain could erupt within the next few days, as seismic tremors at the peak continued to grow in frequency and strength.

E

Volcano eruption warning issued for Mt. Usu

SAPPORO, Japan - The Meteorological Agency issued an emergency volcano eruption warning on March 28 for Mt. Usu in southern Hokkaido, shown in this 1996 file photo, following a large number of volcano-related tremors. The 732-meter mountain recorded 109 volcanic tremors between 8 a.m. and midnight on March 27. The number of such tremors totaled 423 between midnight on March 27 and 5 a.m. on March 28, including 14 quakes that could be felt.