Mt Motoshirane in Gunma Prefecture erupted around 9.59am and an avalanche reportedly followed shortly after, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. While a separate peak comprising the same Mt Kusatsu-Shirane erupted in 1983, Mt. Video footage taken at the ski resort and uploaded on the internet showed black smoke and what appear to be volcanic stones falling as well as snow sliding down the hill. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. said a power outage occurred near the ski resort. In 2014, Mt Ontake in central Japan erupted unexpectedly, killing 58 people and leaving five others missing in the nation's deadliest volcanic disaster.

Source: Bangkok Post January 23, 2018 09:33 UTC