Man apologizes after leaving 7-year-old son alone on Mount Fuji to continue climbing

Police have reprimanded a man after he left his own son on Mount Fuji for several hours and continued the climb to the summit himself.

Mount Fuji is an active volcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu and the highest peak in Japan at 12,388ft (3,776m). Roughly 200,000 people climb Fuji each year, but its terrain makes it the site of many climbing mishaps.

In July, a woman had to be rescued after falling and injuring her hip and back, while in 2025, a student had to be rescued twice in four days. Now, a 7-year-old child was found on the mountain alone after being abandoned by his father and older brother.

The staff who found him alerted the police

The boy had complained to his 48-year-old father that he was tired, and the father reportedly responded by telling his son to “wait here”, while he and his 12/13-year-old continued the hike alone.

It was 7:40am local time when staff found the boy alone near the sixth station of the Fujinomiya hiking route, around 6,500ft (2,000m) high. They alerted the authorities, and the father was tracked down at the route’s eighth station, a further three-hour hike away.

If they had not been stopped, it would have taken them two more hours to reach the summit, and a further three to get back down.

As per JapanToday, the father made an official apology. “I made a rash decision, and I deeply regret it,” he said. Police reprimanded the man, telling him: “Even if it means having to give up on climbing the mountain together, leaving a child behind is unacceptable.”

They also warned other hikers that they should be wary of their group and tailor their pace and ambitions to accommodate the member of the group with the least stamina.

For more on hiking, check out our coverage of the hikers rescued after a 5-hour trip ended up taking 14 hours, or the man impaled by his own trekking pole who walked 10 miles to get help.