Japan's Mt. Asama, straddling central Gunma and Nagano prefectures, erupted early Monday from its summit crater, sending ash showers as far as Tokyo and its vicinity in the southern Kanto region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

The 2,568-meter volcano, about 145 kilometers from Tokyo, erupted at 1:51 a.m. (0451 GMT) Monday, the meteorological agency said. TV reports showed ashes showering down in neighboring regions.

In the town of Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture, about 2 millimeters of ash scattered in the area, but local government said it has not received any reports of damage.

The last major eruption of the volcano happened in 2004, causing damage to local crops.

On Sunday, the agency had raised the volcanic eruption alert level for Mt. Asama from 2 to 3 on the 5-stage warning scale. Level 3 prohibits people from going on Mt. Asama.

Japan has 108 active volcanoes and is one of most seismically busy areas in the world.

(Xinhua News Agency February 2, 2009)