A father has been reprimanded by police after leaving his seven-year-old son on Mount Fuji for several hours while he continued a hike, local media reported. The boy was reported to have been spotted sitting on a bench near the mountain in fog and rain, at an elevation of more than 2,000m (6,500ft), according to reports. Officers later found him alone after staff from a mountain hut alerted police. Boy Found After Police Were AlertedHikers from a mountain hut near the route to the summit found the child close to the sixth station of the climbing path, police said, and contacted authorities. Officers then traced the father at the route’s eighth station, which was described in reports as a roughly three-hour walk higher up from where the boy was located. The child was found by police at 07:30 local time on Thursday, which corresponds to 22:30 GMT, the reports added. Police Criticised The DecisionWhen the father returned from the higher point and reunited with his son, officers reprimanded him, local coverage said. One officer told him that even if it meant abandoning the attempt to climb together, leaving a child behind was unacceptable, according to Japan Today. The father later apologised for the decision, which was described as “rash” in the report. Route Timing And Access PointsThe family was reported to have been climbing on the Fujinomiya route. That path begins at the fifth station, a starting point that is accessible by public transport. Reports and climbing guidance cited in the coverage said the journey from the fifth station to the summit typically takes around five hours, with a further three hours needed to descend. Mount Fuji’s Ongoing Climbing RisksMount Fuji rises to 3,776m (12,389ft) and has seen multiple incidents in recent years. In July, a 99-year-old woman required rescue after falling while attempting the route and injuring her hip and back. Last year, a 27-year-old university student who climbed outside the official season was rescued twice within four days after returning to look for a lost mobile phone. The active volcano, located south-west of Tokyo, was added to the World Heritage list in 2013. It is also one of Japan’s three traditional “Holy Mountains”, along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku. Around 200,000 people climb Mount Fuji each year. Some routes also operate daily caps to help prevent overcrowding. Join the discussion? 22 August 2026
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