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Usu volcano evacuees allowed to return home

DATE, (Japan): As Japan's Mount Usu volcano blasted more steam, ash and rocks skyward on Sunday, some of the 5,000 evacuees were allowed to return home, although for most it was just a brief visit.

"It's nice to be back home. Although all we got to do was some laundry," said Hiroko Watanabe, a 43-year-old housewife.

Watanabe was among dozens given a ride on the khaki-coloured trucks of the Self-Defence Forces for the first visit to their homes since last Wednesday, when authorities started evacuating people to gymnasiums and other relief centres.

Evacuation orders were lifted for some areas, and in Date, 759 people will be allowed to leave the evacuation sites.

Seismic activity slowed in the area around the volcano on Sunday with 37 tremors monitored by 3.00 p.m. (0600 GMT) - all but two of them imperceptible without seismic equipment, the Meteorological Agency said.

More than 3,500 tremors have shaken the area in the previous three days.

At one point the volcano spread a pillar of smoke more than 2,000 metres (6,500 feet) into the sky. But experts said there was little likelihood that a major eruption would develop.

"My judgement remains the same as yesterday. The eruptions are likely to be within a limited area," said Hiromu Okada, a professor at Hokkaido University, and one of the leading scientists at the scene.

The volcano, on the northern island of Hokkaido, first erupted on Friday, followed by a second eruption in the early hours of Saturday.

But it has shown little sign of developing into the most feared scenario - the volcano blowing its top and spraying lava, hot gas and stones into the towns below.

"We lifted the evacuation orders judging that an imminent eruption from the summit was unlikely," Date mayor Hideyoshi Kikuya told a news conference.

While there have been no injuries and the government has been praised for its quick and decisive reaction, some were measuring the potential impact on the local economy.

At the foothills of the volcano is one of Hokkaido's major resort areas, where tourists from Japan and neighbouring Asian countries flock to use the hot-spring spas, produced by the same forces of nature that caused the volcanic eruption.

"The damage on (hot-spring resort town) Toya is immeasurable. Even if the volcanic activity were to settle down, it will take months for people to come back and visit us," said Tadashi Sugimura, a 51-year-old hotel bartender who works in a Toya hotel.

"What I'm worried about the most is my job," he said.

The government has said it will offer businesses hit by the eruption loans on preferentials terms and that it will consider measures for people who lost jobs or cannot work due to the volcano.-Reuters