Watch the breathtaking Japanese volcanic eruption that created giant plumes of ash 5,000 metres high and even lightning

Plumes of smoke, cracks of lighting and a flow of lava came bellowing out of Japan’s Mount Sakruajima this week.

Located in a scenic bay on the southern island of Kyushu, this 1,117 meter high volcano has been a sleeping giant for the past three years prior to this fiery spectacle.

The incident took place at 12:02 am on Tuesday at the mountain’s Showa crater, which resulted in a 5,000 meter high column of ash - but officials say no fatalities have been reported.

Located in a scenic bay on the southern island of Kyushu, this 1,117 meter high volcano has been a sleeping giant for the past three years prior to this fiery spectacle. The incident took place at 12:02 am on Tuesday at the mountain’s Showa crater, which resulted in a 5,000 meter high column of ash

Sakurajima's last major eruption took place in 2013 and spewed the same an ash plume of around 5,000 meters into the air - causing damages but no major injuries.

The current eruption is still alive and officials have not reported any major changes about the rate of ash spewing from the large opening.

However, Japan Meteorological Agency has implemented a level 3 alert and is asking people in the area to stay away from the angry giant that is located just 50 km from a nuclear power plant in Sendai, reports The TeCake.

This plant, Fukushima power plant, had been closed from 2011 to 2015 due to an accident that was brought about by an earthquake and tsunami.

There are scores of active volcanoes in Japan, which sits on the so-called 'Ring of Fire', where a large proportion of the world's quakes and eruptions are recorded.

And the furry unleashed from Mount Sakruajima this week marks the 47th eruption in Japan this year.

Experts have voiced concerns about the volcanic activity on the Pacific Island, primarily that it could be completely wiped by one massive eruption in the next century – killing all of its some 127 million inhabitants.

Plumes of smoke, cracks of lighting and a river of lava came bellowing out of Japan’s Mount Sakruajima this week.The volcano is still erupting and officials have not reported any major changes about the rate of ash spewing from the large opening

Sakurajima's last major eruption in 2013, spewed the same an ash plume of around 5,000 meters into the air, causing damages but no major injuries. Pictured is an aerial view of the volcanic mountain