Japanese authorities have released striking computer-generated videos depicting a future eruption of Mount Fuji, warning that the event is not a matter of if but when. The simulations highlight the catastrophic consequences for Tokyo, the world’s most populous metropolitan area with more than 37 million residents.
The AI-generated film, commissioned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, shows towering mushroom-shaped ash clouds over the iconic volcano, just 60 miles from central Tokyo. A narrator warns: “The moment may arrive without any warning.”
Experts say a full-scale eruption could unleash up to 490 million cubic metres of volcanic ash—ten times more than the debris from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Within an hour, Tokyo could be blanketed in sharp, jagged ash particles that damage eyes and lungs, scratch glass, and paralyse infrastructure.
The government warns that cars would fail if ashfall exceeded 10 cm (3 cm in rain), while subway trains, drainage systems, and electrical networks could collapse. Residents have been urged to keep at least three days’ worth of supplies on hand.
Mount Fuji, revered as a sacred site in Shinto belief and celebrated as a global cultural icon, last erupted in 1707. That eruption spewed 850 million cubic metres of debris over 16 days. Since then, the once-rural surroundings have grown into sprawling towns and merged with Tokyo, Yokohama, and Kawasaki into a vast megalopolis.
Toshitsugu Fujii of the Mount Fuji Research Institute underscored the urgency in a video released by Japan’s Cabinet Office: “Mount Fuji used to be a very active volcano, erupting roughly every 30 years. The fact that it has been quiet for over 300 years is abnormal. The next eruption could occur at any time.”
The warning comes as officials also grapple with over-tourism at the mountain, where crowds, rubbish, and human waste have overwhelmed its trails. Local authorities recently introduced a ¥4,000 (£20.50) entrance fee to limit visitors.
AloJapan.com