Get you up to speed: Boy, 7, left alone on Mount Fuji by his own dad | News World
A father abandoned his seven-year-old son on Mount Fuji while continuing to hike with his older son on Thursday morning. The boy was found by a mountain hut worker and was unharmed; police subsequently scolded the father for his actions.
Police have advised hiking groups to remain together and adjust their pace to accommodate those with less stamina after the incident on Mount Fuji. The mountain’s peak climbing season runs from July to August, attracting approximately 200,000 to 300,000 climbers annually.
Japanese police reprimanded a father after he left his seven-year-old son alone on Mount Fuji during a hike, emphasising that leaving a child behind is “unacceptable.” Authorities have since reminded all hiking groups to remain together and advised them to adjust their pace according to the least physically capable member.
What remains unclear — It is not known what specific actions will be taken by authorities to prevent future incidents of leaving children unattended while hiking.
Father scolded after leaving seven-year-old son alone on Mount Fuji
A schoolboy’s father was scolded by police after abandoning him on Mount Fuji (Picture: Richard A. Brooks/AFP via Getty Images)
‘Wait here,’ is what a dad told his seven-year-old son before leaving him alone on Mount Fuji and continuing his hike.
The boy had been making his way to the summit with his father and older brother on Thursday morning via the Fujinomiya Trail.
He complained of feeling tired at the sixth station, which is at an altitude of approximately 2,490 metres and at least five hours from the summit, but his dad decided not to pause to rest or turn back.
Instead, he instructed him to stay put while he carried on the ascent with his other son, a first-year middle school student.
Hours later, the first-grader from Nagoya, Japan, was found by a mountain hut worker.
He was sitting on a bench at around 7.40am, with hiking time estimates suggesting his father had left him at roughly 4.30am.
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Conditions on the mountain can change very quickly (Picture: Reuters)
As fog began to gather and rain fell, it sparked concerns, as weather conditions on the mountain can change quickly, so the worker brought the boy inside for shelter and called the police.
Authorities were thankfully able to reach the father, who had made it to the eighth station, where police urged him to abandon his climb and collect his son.
Upon being reunited, the boy’s father was scolded by police: ‘Even if it means having to give up on climbing the mountain together, leaving a child behind is unacceptable.’
The man expressed remorse, saying: ‘I made a rash decision, and I deeply regret it.’
Fortunately, the boy was unharmed.
Police also issued reminders to other hiking groups, telling them to stay together and set their pace based on the person with the least stamina or the least physically capable.
Mount Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan and its most popular hiking period is July to August. Around 200,000-300,000 people climb the mountain each summer.
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