Father leaves 7-year-old son alone on Mount Fuji in Japan

Police intervention was required in Japan after a father left his 7-year-old son alone on Mount Fuji to continue his trek to the summit. The incident occurred on August 20.

According to local reports, the father set out to conquer the 3,776-meter peak with his two sons, aged 7 and 12, via the traditional Fujinomiya trail. However, the younger son grew tired early in the journey, while the older child moved ahead.

The father then left his 7-year-old son on a bench by the trail, providing him with water and food, and told him to wait there. He then continued upward to follow his older son.

Some time later, staff at the sixth station of the Fujinomiya trail found the boy alone at an altitude of over 2 kilometers. The child was sitting in the rain and fog. The staff immediately notified the police.

Law enforcement officers located the father between the seventh and eighth stations. It turned out he had traveled quite far from where he left his son, covering nearly three hours of walking distance.

Police ordered the father to return immediately. The boy had been left alone for nearly eight hours. The father received a strict warning for leaving his child unattended in a dangerous area. He admitted his mistake and apologized to the police.

One of the police officers commented on the situation, emphasizing that even if plans to reach the summit must be abandoned, a child should never be left alone.

The Fujinomiya trail begins at the fifth station, which is accessible by public transport. From there, it takes about five hours to reach the summit of Mount Fuji and another three hours to return.

In recent years, a number of unfortunate incidents involving tourists have been recorded on Mount Fuji. Located southwest of Tokyo, the mountain is one of Japan's three sacred mountains. Mount Fuji was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2013.

Approximately 200,000 people climb the mountain every year. To regulate the flow of tourists, seasonal and daily restrictions have been introduced on certain routes.