Victims' families mark 10th anniversary of Mt Ontake eruption

Bereaved families and local officials on Friday marked the 10th anniversary of the Mt Ontake eruption, Japan's deadliest postwar volcanic disaster, in a ceremony in central Japan, as efforts continue to keep the memory of the tragedy alive.

In a memorial service held in the village of Otaki at the foot of the 3,067-meter mountain straddling Nagano and Gifu prefectures, attendees observed a moment of silence at 11:52 a.m., the time of the eruption, which claimed 58 lives and left five others unaccounted for.

Before the ceremony, nine members of a group of victims' families handed out keychains with safety messages to hikers at the trailhead.

Among them, 66-year-old Hiromi Noguchi, who lost her husband in the disaster, told reporters, "I want people to evacuate immediately if they sense danger."

Eight hikers who survived the eruption issued a statement. "We must not let the disaster fade and be forgotten amid disasters that occur almost every year and allow another eruption to claim many lives," it said.

Following the eruption, the government has strengthened disaster prevention measures, including improving information-sharing and promoting volcanic research. Nagano Prefecture has also mandated climbers to submit hiking plans.

Individual efforts are also under way to prevent the disaster from fading from public memory.

Kiyokazu Tokoro, a 62-year-old from Aichi Prefecture, whose son Yuki Tokoro, 26, and his fiance Yuki Niwa, 24, died in the eruption, has been organizing educational hikes and talks for local children, sometimes showing his son's ash-covered belongings.

"I will continue these activities as long as my strength allows," he said, adding, "This is my way of honoring my son and his fiance."

The eruption occurred on Sept. 27, 2014, when the alert level for the volcano was at 1, the lowest on a scale of five. The current alert level for Mt. Ontake remains at 1, indicating hikers should be aware of its status as an active volcano.