Father leaves seven-year-old son alone for hours on Mount Fuji during climb

In Japan, a father left his seven-year-old son alone on Mount Fuji for several hours during a climb, leading to a stern warning from authorities, according to police and local media reports. The incident occurred on Thursday when the boy was found alone on a hiking route and taken into police custody by a local officer in the Shizuoka region.

The child informed his father that he was tired at the sixth station of the mountain, which sits at an altitude of over 2,000 meters (6,500 feet). He had waited there for eight hours with only snacks, a soft drink, and no money, as his older brother had gone ahead earlier in the climb, prompting the father to leave him. As he continued hiking with the other son, the father told the younger one to wait there.

Rescue officials discovered the boy after staff at a mountain hut alerted them to his presence. The police officer informed AFP that the father was reprimanded for his careless act, and he apologized to the officers.