Japan's Meteorological Agency has downgraded the volcanic alert level for Sakurajima in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, from 5 to 3 on a 5-point scale.

Level 5 requires nearby residents to evacuate.
Level 3 advises people to stay away from the volcano.

Agency officials lowered the alert level to 3 at 8 p.m. on Wednesday on the grounds that the possibility of large volcanic rocks flying farther than 2 kilometers is now small.

With the downgrade, Kagoshima City officials lifted the evacuation order for residents living nearby. The order had been in place following Sunday's massive eruption.

But officials are calling on people to be careful about possible pyroclastic flows and flying rocks within a radius of about 2 kilometers from the volcano's two craters.