The volcano, which often ejects smoke and ash, is one of Japan’s biggest tourist attractions, the AFP agency reported.
The Japanese Meteorological Agency said in a statement that this Sunday’s eruption threw ash about 2.5 kilometers from the crater.
The agency raised the Sakurajima Alert to a maximum level of five, urging residents to evacuate.
According to local media, the city of Kagoshima ordered residents to evacuate to Arimura District and part of Furusato District, where 51 people live.
Before the explosion, the alarm signal was at level three, which restricts access to the mountain.
“The residential areas of the cities of Arimura and Furusato, three kilometers from the summit of Sakurajima volcano, should be put on high alert,” the agency said.
According to the Kagoshima mayor’s office, both cities have 77 residents.
Public channel NHK said there was no damage so far.
Japan has dozens of active volcanoes and is located on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where a large proportion of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are recorded.
Sakurajima was formerly an island, but due to other eruptions it is now joined by a peninsula.
The Asian country last issued an evacuation alert when a volcano erupted on Kuchinoerabu Island in Kagoshima in 2015.
