Latest volcano show: Shinmoe  by Eric Johnston  OSAKA — In late
January, Mount Shinmoe, one of a cluster of volcanoes on a
mountain range straddling Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures,
woke back up.  Known among James Bond fans as the site of the
secret rocket base in “You Only Live Twice,” Mount Shinmoe had
been quiet for more than half a century, but its most recent
eruptions sent plumes of ash, gas and debris into the atmosphere
and shattered windows 8 km away.  Volcanoes in fact can be found
from Hokkaido all the way to the Ryukyu islands, making the
Japanese archipelago one of the world’s most volcanically
active.  Is Mount Shinmoe in danger of a massive eruption soon?
A lava dome is growing in its 1,421-meter-high crater, but as of
late February it was not certain whether a single, massive
eruption would occur. Its most recent outbursts have varied in
size, and such activity could continue for a long period of
time. Mount Shinmoe’s last major eruptive episode began in 1716
and lasted for 1 1/2 years.