Bad weather on Thursday afternoon forced rescuers on Mount Ontake to retreat once again.
Sixteen people are still missing after the volcano erupted on Saturday, killing at least 47 people.
Now a typhoon is threatening to bring heavy rainfall and hold up the search for several days.
Japanese authorities say when the search resumes, it might be necessary to look beneath the ash.
(SOUNDBITE)(Japanese) NAGANO PREFECTURAL HEAD OF DISASTER COORDINATION HEADQUARTERS, IKUO AOYAGI, SAYING:
"Until now we had concentrated our search for victims by visual inspection and bringing them back. It will become necesary from now on for us to expand our search and also look for victims buried or covered in ash."
Hikers say there was no warning of this volcano eruption, that was Japan's deadliest in a century.
