A family hike up Mount Fuji took an unexpected turn after a father allegedly left his seven-year-old son alone on the mountain because the child complained that he was tired.
The boy from Nagoya had begun the climb early Thursday with his 48-year-old father and older brother, who is a first-year junior high school student. The family was using the Fujinomiya Trail, one of the routes leading to the summit.
When they reached around the trail’s sixth station, the seven-year-old became tired and started complaining. Instead of ending the climb or allowing his son to rest while staying with him, the father reportedly told the boy to wait there before continuing towards the summit with his older son.
The decision was particularly risky as the summit was still several hours away. According to the official Mount Fuji climbing website, the journey from the sixth station to the summit takes more than five hours, while returning from the peak to the same point takes over two and a half hours.
Fortunately, the boy did not remain alone for that long. At around 7.40am, a worker at a mountain hut near the sixth station noticed the child sitting alone on a bench. The worker brought him inside the hut for shelter and contacted police.
Officers later identified the boy’s father and managed to reach him when he was near the trail’s eighth station. He was instructed to return and collect his son.
Based on the estimated hiking time between the sixth and eighth stations, authorities believe the boy may have been left behind around 4.30am, although the exact timing remains unclear.
The child was unharmed and was eventually reunited with his father. However, conditions on Mount Fuji can change quickly, and rain and fog had begun to develop around the time the boy was discovered.
Police reportedly told the father that leaving a child behind was unacceptable, even if it meant abandoning plans to reach the summit together. The father acknowledged his mistake, saying that he had made a rash decision and deeply regretted it.
Following the incident, police urged hikers to consider the safety and abilities of every member of their group, stressing that hiking pace and plans should be adjusted according to the person with the least stamina.
