Japan lacks coordinated effort to defuse volcanic time bomb

Government struggles to instill confidence following sluggish COVID-19 response

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A pyroclastic flow set off by the 1991 eruption of Mount Unzen envelops a house near the Mizunashi River in Shimabara, Nagasaki Prefecture.

MASAKI HORIKOSHI, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- One could safely call the whole of Japan a geological hot spot. It is home to 7% of the world's active volcanoes despite comprising just 0.25% of its total landmass.

Experts are warning that the country is ill-prepared for a major eruption. Many active volcanoes in Japan are located close to residential areas, posing huge risks to people's lives and livelihoods.

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