In brief
A 48‑year‑old father left his seven‑year‑old son on a mountain bench near the sixth station of Mount Fuji, telling him to wait while the father continued the climb with his elder son. The child, tired and fussy, was discovered at 07:30 local time after mountaineers at a nearby hut alerted the police. Officers criticized the father, noting that leaving a child behind is unacceptable, especially given Japan’s history of climbing mishaps on the volcano. The incident underscores the need for safer hiking practices, particularly during Japan’s popular climbing season.
Father leaves 7‑year‑old child alone on Mount Fuji
A 48‑year‑old Japanese father was disciplined by police after he left his seven‑year‑old son, who was waiting on a bench at the sixth station of Mount Fuji, for several hours in foggy and rainy weather while he climbed the mountain with his older son.
The boy was found sitting alone on a bench above 2,000 metres (6,500 ft) and was only discovered by staff at a mountain hut, who called the authorities. Police traced the father to the seventh or eighth station—roughly a three‑hour hike away—after the child had been left for eight hours.
When the father returned, the boy was exhausted and fussy. Officers criticised him for his “rash” decision, stressing that it would be better to abandon the climb than to leave a child behind.
This incident comes amid a string of climbing mishaps on Mount Fuji, Japan’s tallest volcano. In 2023, a 99‑year‑old woman was rescued after falling at the peak, and last year a university student was rescued twice after losing his mobile phone.
Mount Fuji, standing at 3,776 m (12,389 ft), attracts about 200,000 climbers annually, but authorities impose daily caps on certain routes to prevent overcrowding. The mountain is also a World Heritage Site and one of Japan’s three “Holy Mountains,” alongside Mount Tate and Mount Haku.
