Mt. Shinmoe in southwestern Japan erupts again

TOKYO, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Mount Shinmoe on the southwestern Japanese main island of Kyushu erupted again on Monday, weather agency here said.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the volcano, which straddles both Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, erupted at around 2:45 p.m. local time, spewing smoke and volcanic ash up to 3,300 meters in the air.

The JMA has maintained its alert level at 3 on its scale that peaks at 5 and has warned people of large flying rocks in areas as much as 3 km from the volcano's crater.

The volcano last erupted on April 6.