The recent eruption of Mt Ontake in Japan killing 57 people (Picture: AP Photo/Kyodo News, Izumi Noguchi)

Japan has been warned have been warned that a volcano on on the southwest island, Kyushu could erupt.

A serious issue for the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) is that the Sendai nuclear plant is only 40 miles away from the dormant volcano, Mount Ioyama.

The government had been planning to reopen the plant despite public resistance after the crisis at the Fukushima power plant.

Danger levels have been raised by Japan Meteorological Agency from the lowest to the second lowest which means the area around the crater is considered dangerous.


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Japan is situated on the so-called ‘ring of fire’, a semi-circle of fault lines and volcanoes of which 100 are active.

The 2011 earthquake, which caused the radioactive leaks at the Fukushima power plant, is believed to have triggered a greater risk of volcanic activity throughout Japan including the iconic Mt Fuji.

Mt Fuji in the early morning (Picture: Getty Image)