Father leaves 7-year-old son alone on Mount Fuji to continue hike

A 48-year-old father has been criticized for leaving his seven-year-old son alone on Japan's highest mountain, Mount Fuji, for several hours. The child was found sitting on a bench at over 2,000 meters on foggy and rainy conditions. His father allegedly instructed the boy to "wait here" after he expressed tiredness and continued the hike with his other son.

Staff at a mountain cabin discovered the youngster near the sixth station of the trek towards the summit and promptly informed the police. His father was later found between the seventh and eighth stations, which are approximately a three-hour hike away. The boy was discovered on his own at 7:30 AM local time on Thursday (10:30 PM GMT).

Upon his return, police scolded the father for his decision, emphasizing that leaving a child behind is inexcusable, even if it meant abandoning their joint climbing plans. The family was reportedly on the Fujinomiya route, which begins at the fifth station and is accessible via public transport. Climbing guides estimate it takes around five hours to reach the peak and an additional three hours to descend.

Mount Fuji, standing at 3,776 meters, has seen several climbing mishaps in recent years, including a 99-year-old woman who required rescue after falling during the climb, and a 27-year-old university student who had to be rescued twice in four days due to losing his phone outside of the official climbing season. A World Heritage site since 2013 and one of three "Holy Mountains," Mount Fuji receives around 200,000 annual climbers, with daily limits in place at certain routes to prevent overcrowding.