An aerial view of Sakurajima taken in August 2015
JIJI PRESS | AFP | Getty Images
A Japanese volcano about 50 km (30 miles) from a nuclear plant erupted on Friday, Japan's Meteorological Agency said, sending fountains of lava into the night sky.
The Sakurajima volcano, on the southernmost main island of Kyushu, erupts frequently.
The Sendai nuclear plant, run by Kyushu Electric Power, and on the same island, resumed operations last year. It was shut down, along with all of Japan's nuclear plants, after a 2011 earthquake and tsunami triggered a meltdown at a nuclear plant north of Tokyo.