Mount Shinmoedake, a volcano standing on the border between Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures in Kyushu, appears to have erupted, the Japan Meteorological Agency announced on March 1.

It is the first sign of volcanic activity at the 1,421-meter peak since Oct. 17 last year. The volcano's threat level remains at 3, restricting access to the mountain.

The weather agency said it received a report from the Miyazaki Prefecture town of Takaharu that ash had fallen.

The agency has not confirmed a volcanic plume, and there are no reports that anyone has been injured. However, officials have warned of the possibility of cinders falling within an approximately 2-kilometer radius of the volcano's crater, and of pyroclastic flows reaching an area within a 1-kilometer radius.