Helicopter Rescues on Mt. Fuji to Charge Fee
Climbers who get into trouble on Mount Fuji during the official closed season could be charged for rescue by disaster-prevention helicopters under new safety measures being considered by Yamanashi Prefecture. (News On Japan)
Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan is considering implementing a fee for helicopter rescues on Mount Fuji during the officially closed season, as part of new safety measures to address climbing accidents. The prefecture plans to require climbers ascending above the sixth station to submit a climbing notification, and authorities could recommend changes to climbing plans deemed inadequate.
The proposal to charge around 8,000 yen for every five minutes of rescue operations comes after 21 climbing accidents on the Yamanashi side of Mount Fuji during the closed season between 2017 and 2025, resulting in four deaths. The prefecture aims to introduce the new system from September 2027, urging climbers to refrain from ascending the mountain during the official closed season.
Brief written by urgent.news from News On Japan's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
