Father reprimanded after abandoning seven-year-old son on Mount Fuji to continue climb

Abandonment at the sixth station

A 48-year-old resident of Nagoya faced formal police reprimands after abandoning his seven-year-old son on Mount Fuji during an ascent along the Fujinomiya route. The family had set out before dawn to ascend Japan's highest mountain, an active volcano rising 3,776 meters southwest of Tokyo. Along with his younger son, the father was accompanied by his older child, aged 12 or 13. When the group reached the vicinity of the sixth station, situated above 2,000 meters in altitude, the younger boy struggled with physical exhaustion and stated that he could no longer proceed. Rather than halting the ascent or escorting the child back down, the father instructed him to wait on an outdoor bench, leaving him with only a soft drink and snacks, without money.

Shelter discovery and police intervention

The father and his older son continued their climb toward the summit, leaving the child exposed to alpine weather conditions marked by rainfall and fog. Around 07:30 on Thursday morning, a mountain shelter worker noticed the unattended child sitting alone on the bench. The employee brought the boy into the warmth of the facility and contacted police to report the situation. Officers took the seven-year-old into protective care and began tracing the father along the upper trail.

Route difficulty and official reprimand

Police contacted the father by telephone when he had progressed to the section between the seventh and eighth stations, approximately a three-hour hike above the sixth station where he had left his son. Officers instructed him to immediately halt his ascent and hike down to the shelter. By the time the father returned to collect the child, the boy had waited alone and distressed, though he suffered no physical injuries. Police delivered a direct reprimand to the father upon his return to the station.

Even if it means giving up climbing the mountain together, leaving a child behind is unacceptable.

The father offered an apology to law enforcement, acknowledging that he had made a hasty decision and expressing deep regret over his actions. Climbing guides note that the Fujinomiya trail, although the shortest approach to the summit, requires hikers to overcome an elevation gain of more than 1,300 meters along steep terrain. A full round trip from the fifth station typically requires approximately five hours of climbing to reach the peak and another two and a half to three hours for the descent.

Escalating safety concerns on the peak

The incident prompted Japanese authorities to renew safety warnings for hikers visiting Mount Fuji, which receives roughly 200,000 climbers each year and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2013. Mountain rescue teams have recorded multiple emergency operations in recent seasons due to climbers misjudging environmental hazards and physical stamina. In July, rescue personnel evacuated a 99-year-old woman who suffered hip and back injuries in a fall on the slopes. During the previous year, a 27-year-old university student who climbed outside the official season required two separate rescues within four days after returning up the mountain to locate a lost mobile phone. Authorities emphasized that temperatures and visibility on the volcano can deteriorate rapidly, creating immediate risks of hypothermia even during summer months. Officials urged all visiting groups to evaluate the endurance of each member before starting and to adjust their pace or abandon climbs to protect vulnerable participants.