A seven-year-old boy was found safe after being left alone for hours on Mount Fuji by his father, who abandoned the child to continue climbing with his older son, according to Japanese media reports. The incident occurred Thursday on the Fujinomiya route of Japan's highest peak. The family, visiting from Nagoya, had reached the mountain's sixth station at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters (about 6,500 feet) when the boy told his father he was too tired to proceed.
Instead of turning back, the 48-year-old father told the boy to wait on a bench while he and the older brother pressed on, according to reports by local media outlets including FNN Prime Online and Japan Today. The child was left with only snacks and a soft drink as rain and thick fog descended on the area. A worker at a mountain hut discovered the child sitting alone—roughly 100 meters (about 328 feet) from a sheer drop—and alerted police at about 7:40 a.m. local time.
Newsweek has attempted to contact the district police department via phone and email for further comment on the reports. Police officers tracked the father down at the mountain's eighth station, roughly a three-hour hike higher up, and ordered him to return. The boy was unharmed and later reunited with his father.
Local police reprimanded the father, with Japan Today reporting that officers said: “Even if it means having to give up on climbing the mountain together, leaving a child behind is unacceptable.” The father expressed remorse, saying: “I made a rash decision, and I deeply regret it," the outlet reported. Mount Fuji is an active volcano and Japan's highest mountain, standing at 3,776 meters (about 12,389 feet). The Fujinomiya route begins at the fifth station and is one of the main routes used by climbers attempting to reach the summit.
The climb from the fifth station to the peak takes around five hours, while the descent can take a further three hours, according to climbing guides. Mount Fuji’s official climbing season runs from early July to early September, with the busiest period from late July to late August. The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) notes that trails are especially congested during the Obon holidays, typically in mid-August.
They may also close due to rain or wind, making careful planning essential for anyone attempting the ascent. Mount Fuji’s official website warns about seasonal conditions. The mountain is usually snow-free between late June and October, but temperatures at the summit can still drop far below zero in the shoulder seasons.
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