Japanese Expert: "It Would Not Be Surprising If Mt. Fuji Erupts at Any Time"

Mount Fuji, Japan. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Kang Juhee Intern Reporter] An analysis has emerged that Mount Fuji in Japan could erupt at any time.

On the 20th, the Japanese media outlet Daily Shincho reported that as earthquake occurrences have been increasing across Japan recently, the risk of an eruption of Mount Fuji is also growing.

The media warned that although interest in the eruption risk of Mount Fuji has declined due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, if an eruption occurs, unprecedented damage could be inflicted.

Fujii Toshitsugu, emeritus professor at the University of Tokyo and director of the Mount Fuji Science Research Institute in Yamanashi Prefecture, said, "It is not surprising if (Mount Fuji) erupts at any time; that is all we can say now," adding, "It might be erupting around this time next year, or it might be fine even after several decades."

He continued, "It is necessary to create a predictive map including all variables. In that sense, the Mount Fuji eruption simulation announced by the government's Central Disaster Prevention Council in April this year was a significant advancement," but expressed concern that "it did not receive attention because the announcement coincided with the state of emergency declaration due to COVID-19."

According to local Japanese media such as NHK, in March, the Japanese government held a Central Disaster Prevention Council meeting to discuss the impact and countermeasures of a large-scale eruption of Mount Fuji on the Tokyo metropolitan area.

According to the report announced at this meeting, within three hours of an eruption, the central Tokyo area and surrounding cities would be covered with volcanic ash. Furthermore, automobile and railway operations would be suspended, logistics would be blocked, and essential functions such as food supply and metropolitan services would be completely halted.

Mount Fuji last erupted about 300 years ago, in December 1707, releasing a large amount of volcanic ash for approximately two weeks. At that time, 1.7 billion cubic meters of volcanic ash were emitted, causing massive landslide disasters, floods, and destruction of houses, resulting in enormous damage. NHK reported that this amount was 37 times the disaster waste generated by the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred nine years ago.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.