New Japan Island Rises From Sea After Volcanic Eruption (Video)

A new Japan island emerged after an undersea volcano erupted off the coast of Nishinoshima island, about 1,000 km to the south of Tokyo, on Thursday.

New Japan Island (Photo courtesy of the Japan Coast Guard)

A footage from the Japan Coast Guard shows the birth of the new island amid heavy smoke, ash and rocks exploding from the crater of the volcano, which also spewed steam into the sky.

Estimated to be about 200 meters in diameter, the new island is part of the Ogasawara chain, otherwise known as the Bonin Islands, a group of some 20 uninhabited islands.

Officials said it is too early to name the new island since land masses of this kind may be eroded by waves and tides. It may also become permanent depending on how long the eruption lasts.

"This has happened before and in some cases the islands disappeared," said Yoshihide Suga of Japan's  Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications. "If it becomes a full-fledged island, we would be happy to have more territory."

According to reports, the forming of the new Japan island is the first of such phenomenon that has been detected since the mid-1970s. Most volcanic activities in the area are often not noticed because they go on deep on the seabed along the Izu-Ogasawara-Marianas Trench.

Check out the video from the Japan Coast Guard showing the formation of the new Japan island.