In brief
On Japan’s highest peak, a 48‑year‑old father told his 7‑year‑old son to wait at a 2,000‑meter bench, continuing the climb with his elder son. The boy sat alone for several hours under fog and rain until staff at a mountain hut found him and alerted police. The father was later reprimanded, apologising for his decision. The incident highlights ongoing safety concerns on Mount Fuji, where thousands climb yearly under strict conditions. Authorities urge parents take responsibility and follow guidelines to prevent such mishaps.
Police reprimanded a father in Japan after he left his 7‑year‑old son alone on Mount Fuji for several hours.
The boy was found perched on a bench near the mountain’s 6,000‑foot level during foggy, rainy conditions. His father, 48, had asked him to ‘wait here’ when the child expressed fatigue, then continued the climb with his elder son.
Mountain‑hunting staff at a hut located at the sixth station located the child, alerted police, and the father was located some three hours away between the seventh and eighth stations.
At 07:30 local time, police found the son, who had been sitting alone for about eight hours and was tired and fussy. The father was then quoted as apologising for what authorities called a rash decision.
Officials warned that “leaving a child behind is unacceptable,” even if it means abandoning a summit objective. The family had begun the climb on the Fujinomiya route, which starts at the fifth station and can take around five hours to reach the summit and an additional three to descend.
Mount Fuji has been the site of several accidents in recent years, notably a 99‑year‑old woman who was rescued from a fall in July and a 27‑year‑old student who had to be rescued twice after leaving the route to find his lost phone. The volcano, located south‑west of Tokyo, is a World Heritage site and one of Japan’s three traditional Holy Mountains.
