Mount Asama, one of Japan's largest and most active volcanoes, erupted three times yesterday, spewing smoke about 300 meters into the sky and raining ash onto nearby towns, in the second day of eruptions in two weeks.

　　The eruption, labeled "small" by Japanese authorities, sent gray smoke billowing out of the crater for about 10 minutes at dawn.

　　The volcano again blew smoke for about seven minutes during two more small eruptions in the afternoon.

　　The Meteorological Agency warned more ash could fly from the volcano in the next few days.

　　No accompanying earthquakes were detected.

　　Mount Asama last erupted on September 1, sending smoke and ash thousands of meters into the air.

　　The 2,568-meter mountain is about 10 kilometers from the resort town of Karuizawa, 150 kilometers west of Tokyo.

　　It is also about 48 kilometers southeast of Nagano, site of the 1998 Winter Olympics.

　　The Meteorological Agency maintained its activity rating for Mount Asama at 3 on a scale of 5, designating a small-to medium-sized eruption.

　　Mount Asama has had several minor eruptions in recent years.

　　In 1947, molten rocks struck and killed 11 mountaineers on its slopes.

　　Its last major eruption was in 1783.

　　Japan has 108 active volcanoes and lies in the "Pacific Ring of Fire" - a string of volcanoes and fault lines that outlines the Pacific Ocean.

　　On the same day as the earlier eruption, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake was recorded off the coast of Fukushima prefecture, about 250 kilometers northeast of the volcano.

　　The quake and eruption were unrelated.

　　No injuries or damage were reported.

　　(The Associated Press)

　　编辑：趴趴