Mount Asama, one of Japan's more active volcanoes, erupts, but no major damage is reported in the sparsely populated area.
The volcano erupted on Monday at 1:51 a.m. (1651 GMT Sunday), spewing hot rocks and ash but no lava could be seen from the side of the volcano. Television images showed white smoke coming out of the 2,568 metre (8,425 foot), snow-capped peak, with some grey dust near the top. No one lives within 4 kilometre area around volcano but residents in cities and villages nearby have been warned against flying rocks and ash.
The volcano is known for a huge eruption in 1783 that caused widespread damage and killed around 1,500 people.
NOTE: Original sound only, no reporter narration.
