Japan has a new island after a volcano erupted under the ocean, pushing a mass of earth above the surface.<br /><br />The event which happened far to the south of Tokyo in the Pacific “Ring of Fire” was filmed by the Japanese coastguard. <br /><br />Smoke from the eruption rose almost 600 metres into the air.<br /><br />The last time this happened was said to be 40 years ago, when another island nearby appeared from the depths.<br /><br />Yoshihide Suga, chief cabinet secretary of Japan, said: “The government is delighted at its new acquisition.<br /><br />“If our territory can expand then all the better. If this island can become a proper island, then that would indeed mean that our territory would get larger.” <br /><br />Japan has plans to develop other rocky outcrops in the area to boost its claims in a territorial dispute with China.<br /><br />But it says it’s too early to give the new island a name, as sometimes volcanically-formed land like this has simply sunk back into the waves.
