A volcano in south-western Japan has erupted for the first time in six years, spreading ash over nearby cities and towns.

At 111, Japan's Tomoji Tanabe is the world's oldest man and has no plans to surrender his title.

Authorities began burning about 12,000 chickens at a southern Japan farm today to try stemming the spread of the country's latest bird flu outbreak.

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.5 rattled southern Japan today, the Meteorological Agency said. There were no reports of injuries or serious damage.

Ten people were killed and five others were missing today as a powerful typhoon lashed southern Japan with strong winds and heavy rains, causing deadly mudslides and prompting the evacuation of thousands of homes.