Volcano erupts in southwest Japan for first time in six years

Black smoke is pouring from a volcano in Japan that has erupted for the first time in six years.

Shinmoedake spewed ash 1700 metres up from the crater, which is part of the Mount Kirishimayama cluster in the country's southwest.

The Japan Meteorological Agency raised the volcano alert to three on a scale of five after the eruption.

Japanese broadcasters showed students wearing helmets and masks on their way to school at the foot of the volcano.

The Japan Meteorological Agency is warning hot ash and gas clouds, known as pyroclastic flows, could reach 2 kilometres from the crater, with ash and volcanic rocks posing a risk over a wider area depending on wind and elevation.